Review by Brian Lynch:
There is some music that brings you right in; the kind that from the
first note you hear lets you know that you are going to be in for a most enjoyable
and rewarding listening experience. Such is the music on this CD from the estimable
fivesome that has come together here as the Powerhouse Quintet. Their music has that
quality of making you want to put aside whatever else you're doing and dig their hip
sounds.
 The smooth blend
of this group speaks of the long and warm relationship of the principal figures in
the quintet. Bryant, Steve, and Bim are all wonderful players and composers alike,
and their musical contributions in both spheres are both accomplished and complementary
to each other, in a way that shows the special quality of their personal and musical
relationships. I'm a firm believer in the idea that friendship off the stand translates
into togetherness on the stand (or recording studio in this case), and this CD is
proof positive.
 The highlights
on this disc are many; Bryant Allard's fluent and confident playing on his attractive
original,"The Chase", Bim Strasberg's stalwart bass playing throughout the
recording, along with his skein of well crafted, swinging tunes ("Incanto",
"Rockermotion"). Steve Feierabend impresses me with his impassioned yet
thoughtful playing as much on this record as he did sight reading my music on a recent
gig with my group in San Diego. Speaking of San Diego, two of the area's finest and
truly world class players fill out the quintet here, pianist Ivar Antonsen and drummer
Tim McMahon. Tim's strong and supportive playing helps provide the rhythmic glue that
keeps the drive going in this ensemble, and Ivar's eloquently creative solo statements
and rich comping set off the horns perfectly.
 I invite you
to come on in and listen to the supple, swinging sounds contained herein! Sit back,
relax, and enjoy the Powerhouse Quintet.
Brian Lynch - May 2003
(Brian Lynch was a member of the legendary Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers,
recording three albums with the Messengers and staying with Art until his death in
1990. He was instrumental in the formation of the acclaimed Eddie Palmieri Afro-Caribbean
Jazz Octet and has recently recorded with The Phil Woods Quintet, The Toshiko Akiyoshi
Orchestra, and the Artist formerly known as Prince. Brian's most recent sixth solo
CD, "Spheres of Influence" made it to the top of the jazz radio charts).
The Powerhouse Quintet:
Our musical adventure started 25 years ago when we (Bryant, Steve, and Bim),while
still in high school, discovered jazz and decided to form our own band. Having all
grown up together in Del Mar, a small beach community just north of San Diego, our
friendship actually goes back even farther (grade school). In August of 1978, after
graduation, the three of us moved to Boston to continue our musical studies; Steve
and Bryant attended the Berklee College of Music while Bim worked gigs around the
Boston area. Over the years, we all continued to play professionally but went in our
own directions, settling in different parts of the country. Only on the rare occasion
when our travels coincided did we have the opportunity to perform together. In August
of 2000, however, we were invited to play as the Del Mar All-Stars in a jazz concert
series back in our home town. While Steve was still living in San Diego at the time,
Bim traveled from New York and Bryant from Portland, Oregon, for the reunion. The
experience was something of a revelation: despite our different paths, we found there
was an uncanny empathy in our musical sensibilities, and this ignited a desire to
continue performing together. With the help of our close friend, San Diego guitarist
Peter Sprague, we returned to San Diego to record our first CD as "The Powerhouse
Quintet" at Spragueland Studios. Our name is taken from Powerhouse Park where
we performed some of our first concerts together 25 years ago as well as our two recent
reunion concerts.
The music reflects our similar backgrounds which are rooted in John Coltrane, Miles
Davis, Sonny Rollins, and others of that generation. We hope you enjoy our music and
we look forward to many more reunions in the near future.
Bim, Steve, and Bryant
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