New Jazz Release: Tom Wetmore | “The Desired Effect” (Coming Jan. 17th, 2012)

The
buoyant grooves and graceful melodies heard on the forthcoming CD “The
Desired Effect” serve to introduce a fresh new voice in jazz—Tom
Wetmore, whose Crosstown Records will release the pianist/composer’s
exceptional debut, “The Desired Effect, ” on January 17.

The
29-year-old Massachusetts native has been active on the New York scene
since 2005, leading his own traditional jazz trio as well as his
eclectic sextet. He’s also performed and/or recorded with Clark Terry,
Slide Hampton, T.K. Blue, Bernard Purdie, and the fine contemporary
players showcased on his new disc.

Its nine tracks feature a
uniquely voiced frontline of alto saxophone and two lead guitars, with
Wetmore playing electric Rhodes piano throughout, utilizing time
signatures that shift frequently within each composition. “It’s really
two lead guitars, ” he says of the frontline. “There’s no rhythm guitar.
When I compose I think of the guitars and sax as contrapuntal voices,
and it really allows for some interesting explorations.”

The
nucleus of Wetmore’s sextet began forming during his graduate studies at
William Paterson University, where he earned a master’s degree in Jazz
Performance in 2007. He’s joined on “The Desired Effect” by alternating
alto saxophonists Jaleel Shaw and Eric Neveloff, guitarists Brad
Williams and Justin Sabaj, electric bassist Michael League, and drummer
Garrett Brown.

The CD title was inspired by a line from the song
“P. Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)” from Parliament’s “Mothership
Connection” (1975): “The desired effect is what you get when you improve
your interplanetary funksmanship.”

“It’s my odd little way of
saying that this music isn’t about having a story, or meaning, or any
type of grand idea, ” explains the pianist. “It’s about the desired
effect—which stands in for all the different kinds of beauty people
could find.”

Or as Wetmore writes in his liner notes: “This music
is about being true—or, at the very least, striving to be true. It is
about beauty, about being touched. When you allow yourself to be
touched, The Desired Effect is what you get.”

As a teenage piano
student, Wetmore was introduced to the music of Miles Davis and Herbie
Hancock, and within months had landed a regular gig playing jazz
standards at a local café. He went on to study physics and government at
Cornell University, but before completing his undergrad work he took a
semester off to study in Boston with legendary pianist and composer Ran
Blake.

“I’ve never really encountered anybody who has worked out a
way to truly transcend style like Ran, ” he says of studying with
Blake. “I learned how to be true to improvising. Every note really comes
from inside you, not from a pattern or a lick or from a solo you
transcribed.”

Currently, Wetmore keeps a disciplined regimen of
writing at least one new composition each day and posts the scores on
www.tomstuneaday.com. In a “very natural next step for me, ” he
intends to pursue doctoral studies in jazz performance in the near
future. “I prize myself as an instinctual natural performer and
composer, ” he says, “but I also believe in contributing to scholarship.
I think that working toward a Ph.D. would create a solid balance
between performance and scholarly pursuit, which would allow me to
become a better jazz musician overall.”

Upcoming CD release shows
for “The Desired Effect” include the Tea Lounge in Brooklyn, 1/19, and
Somethin’ Jazz Club in Manhattan, 2/4. Wetmore will be playing electric
piano, with guitarists Brad Williams and Justin Sabaj; bassist Matt
Turowski, and drummer Garrett Brown. Alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw is set
to appear at the Tea Lounge show, Eric Neveloff at Somethin’ Jazz.