Featuring: Andy Suzuki - tenor, soprano, and alto sax Steve Huffsteter - trumpet and flugelhorn Nick Manson - piano Kendall Kay - drums Dean Taba - acoustic bass Total Time: 66:30 1) Air - 5:43 This song is written for saxophonist Allen Won, whose music, spirit, and support I have always appreciated. Check out his wonderful CD "Jewel in the Lotus" at www.allenwon.com. 2) Up Side - 7:27 Noel Okimoto is the inspiration for this piece. He is a master at writing and executing "upside down" melodies. These are tunes that sound simple, but you'll see the musicians tapping their feet harder and making funny faces. There are some great examples of this on his CD "Ohana" at www.noelokimoto.com 3) It Hurts When I Do This - 6:59 Speaking of funny faces, this melody often drives horn players to unusual facial contortions. Andy is one of the few musicians I know who can make such an angular melody sound fluid. This is dedicated to my mentor, Joel DiBartolo. 4) Folk Song #2 - 7:48 This composition started as a sort of "Asian" folk song, but evolved into a piece that made me think of my folks, Clarence and Nancy Taba. 5) Cigar Song - 2:08 Sometimes this song can be long, sometimes short, but it's always fun exploring melodies and structures with Kendall and Andy. Andy enjoys Macanudo Ascots and I like Punch Rothchild double maduros. . . Kendall doesn't smoke. 6) Here For You - 6:31 I have friends in a long-term, long-distance relationship. This piece has a "San Francisco" section and a "Hawaii" section. 7) Mr. D.T. - 6:31 Of course I wouldn't name a song after myself. This is an Andy Suzuki classic that is also on his CD "Blue Perspective" (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/andysuzuki2). 8) Camarillo's Daughter - 6:10 A version of this song is also on my first CD "More Is More" (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/deantaba), but I always intended for there to be a piano solo. I just love what Nick did on this 1st and only take that morning. Camarillo's Daughter is what I call the woman I met on a gig years ago in Ventura County. Nothing ever happend, and I don't remember her name, but I can't forget her. 9) For Friends - 10:03 I really cherish these relationships. 10) Her Story - 7:09 I wrote this song after taking a trip with my mother and her two sisters to the location of thier old "plantation days" home on Maui. These sisters were the best of friends and I always loved seeing them together. REVIEWS: Joshua Kline Double Bassist Magazine Hawaiian bass virtuoso and veteran A-list West Coast session player Dean Taba here presents a disc that is so moreish I found myself singing the tunes (solos included) all day long. For Friends is a gorgeous work of art full of original compositions bursting the subtle complexities of a fine (Californian) wine, rhythmic drive and heartfelt melodies. This is an album that swings, smoulders and struts. Throughout the playing is fresh, lip-smacking jambalaya on a bed of meaty chordal arrangements which swing from somber and sweet to bitter and moody, with speeds ranging from lightning to that smooth fluidity which makes the West Coast sound so accessible. Taba has a nose for talent: his band mates are stellar swingers and true storytellers on the bandstand. Andy Suzuki's tenor saxopone on the aptly-named uptempo smoker 'Up Side' is hard to match, until you hear Nick Manson's brilliant piano playing later on. Taba's bass provides steady support, and he can zip over breakneck changes with the ease of a highwire acrobat. For Friends is a powerful and moving work of vibrant, innovative jazz with a splash of the Pacific and a generous helping of groove. --------- Sunday, January 30, 2005 By Wayne Harada Honolulu Advertiser Entertainment Writer "FOR FRIENDS" by Dean Taba; Manasus Music * Genre: Jazz. * Distinguishing notes: Dean Taba is a local boy who once played French horn in the Hawai'i Youth Symphony Orchestra. After studying at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, he moved to Los Angeles in 1984, where he remains one of the in-demand bassist (acoustic and electric) with acts as diverse as Sadao Watanabe, Hiroshima, David Benoit and Dave Coz. This CD assembles his musical friends Andy Suzuki (tenor, soprano and alto saxophone), Steve Huffsteter (trumpet and flugelhorn), Nick Manson (piano) and Kendall Kay (drums) in a savory and sensuous menu of 10 originals by Taba. The sound is nocturnal-cozy with sexy sax and horn riffs blending with comforting piano and the rhythms of bass and keyboards. The tempo switches creative images of romance ("Air," "Folk Song," "For Friends") and adventure ("Up Side," "Cigar Song"). * The outlook: The quintet's tight bond makes for a cohesive sound. * Our take: Intimacy is the thing; think of a small club, perhaps a tad smokey, with the jazz providing nirvana thrills.