This is the first studio release by Burlington Vermont's Japhy Ryder. Japhy Ryder has been touring steadily throughout the NorthEast coast, working hard at perfecting their organic blend of jazz, rock and electronic music. Check out www.japhyryder.com for more information Reviews: SEVEN DAYS VT: Casey Rea "Burlington's Japhy Ryder are committed musicians who don't let 40-hour work weeks get in the way of steady gigging. They're a regular presence on the Vermont club circuit and have been invited to open for several big-name acts including the Roots and Ozomatli. Now, the trumpet-driven, instrumental quartet is gearing up for the release of their self-titled full-length debut. Chances are, their schedules will only get busier. It's not entirely fair to call JR as a jam band, as most of their songs are tightly scripted. The funk of yore provides them with their main source of inspiration, although elements of the burgeoning "live electronic" genre occasionally make their way into the mix. The disc's overall production is praiseworthy — especially considering it was tracked in a Long Island basement in a mere two days. Most of the tunes on Japhy Ryder are solid, some of 'em even soulful. Trumpeter Will Andrews plays with a laid-back assuredness, favoring old-school cool over brassy flash. Guitarist Jeremy Kizina has more in common with Afrobeat axe men than jazzy jammers; he rarely plays chords, instead opting to echo Andrews' melodies with single-note wah-wah lines. With bassist Patrick Ormiston's portly grooves and drummer Jason Thime's crisp rhythmic articulation, the band arrives at a unique sound. What I like most about the album is the fact that it doesn't sound forced or contrived. So many jam acts approach songs as instrumental exercises or, worse, vehicles for quirky observations and half-baked prose. The latter certainly doesn't apply here, as JR have no vocalist. But the band also understands that music requires breathing room to truly groove. "W.E.S.T" — an acronym for Will's Electronic Space Trumpet — is a fine example of the band's patience. Each player is allowed plenty of space to maneuver, as the song builds on a somewhat generic breakbeat to become a neo-funk sizzler. Still, Japhy are a couple of notches below extraordinary. "Judicial Review" aims for psychedelic dub, occasionally sounds like Chuck Mangione gone ambient electro. There are choice moments, however, particularly Kizina's broadly panned guitar and Thime's slippery rimshots. "No Complaints, Mr. Sprinkles" is, according to the band, named after a homeless man in Troy, New York. The song is proudly manic, switching from splatter-funk to Zappa-esque wank to downtempo space-disco in just over six minutes. No doubt its namesake has as many kooky moods. The disc closes with ". . . I Guess That's It," a minor-key churner closer to moody jammers Lake Trout than any feel-good funk act. With its somber, repeating guitar figure and reverb-y trumpet, it's the most sonically interesting tune on the album. Japhy Ryder are well on their way to distinction in an all-too homogenized scene. If they continue to explore the intersections of groove, dub and retro funk, they might one day be untouchable." STATE OF MIND MUSIC MAGAZINE: Copper Canyon "The number of improvisational instrumental bands vying for listeners' ears has reached a Dead Sea of over-saturation. With so much music out there, it's often hard to sieve out the gems. Tight beats, technical prowess, platform shoes with goldfish in the them (a la Disco Stu) and straight-up sex appeal just won't cut it anymore. A band needs something else to break out of the pack. Japhy Ryder stands out from the group for one clear reason - they are absolutely working their asses off. The atmosphere amont the band is that of open criticism, with the goal of doing what's right for the band in the long run. Their hard work is demonstrated on their self-titled debut album. Recorded in just two days, this disc sounds mapped-out, clean and tight, as if they had spent months working on it. Bassist Patrick Ormiston succeeds in the tough task of laying down bass notes that sound prepared yet dynamically distinctive. Guitarist Jeremy Kizina's strenght is in his patience and careful focus on improvised lines. He's either a rhthym player dishing out lead lines or a lead player holding rhthym - it's more than just a matter of semantics. His melodies blend pain with pleasure in weighted, almost pre-calculated proportions. Perhaps Kizina's greatest strength is his ability to avoid noodling, a crippling disease that often results in diarrhea of the guitar and fan lethary. Even though this disc was cut in two marathon days, audiophiles will find joy in some careful steps that were taken. Close attention was paid to drum levels, as drummer Jason Thime's distinguishing skill, his cymbal work, gets a volume boost. Stereo effects are used creatively, but not abused as they all too often are. Similar to Miles Davis' B**ches Brew, you'll often hear instruments in only one ear, with Kizina generally on the left and trumpeter Will Andrews on the right. All of these efforts come together to create an album that holds the listener from cover to cover. While it's certainly quite applicable to headphone rock, don't hesitate to pump it at your next impromptu dance party. If you're frisky enough, I'd go as far to say that this one may also have a place in the bedroom."