Underdog, and other Stories… – Ted Kooshian’s Standard Orbit Quartet (Digital download full cd)

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‘Kooshian, who is also a regular member of the Ed Palermo Big Band, prefers to use these compositions – a diverse batch ranging from Quincy Jones’ ‘Sanford and Son’ to Steely Dan’s ‘Aja’ to Dave Grusin’s ‘Baretta’ – as templates, often taking great melodic liberties. Sammy Lerner’s ‘Popeye the Sailor’ at first barely resembles the tune embedded in millions of young minds; its ‘toot toot’ strains surface prominently about a minute in, get lost amid whorls of piano and alto interplay, then pop up again toward the end. The title track is transformed into a slice of Latin funk and ‘Wild Wild West’ into a saloon blues. The quartet – Kooshian, tenor saxophonist Jeff Lederer, bassist Tom Hubbard and either Warren Odze or Scott Neumann on drums – finds an essence within each of these numbers and rebuilds them from the ground up. Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach’s ‘God Give Me Strength’ retains the original’s spirituality but finds its heart in cascading crescendos, while Ellington’s ‘Purple Gazelle’ (from his 1962 Coltrane session, and a.k.a. ‘Angelica’) is harder and tougher than the Duke’s. The highlight, though, is likely the Standard Orbit Quartet’s spaced-out take on ‘Powerhouse,’ penned by cartoon-music god Raymond Scott. In its four-plus minutes lie all the mystery, wackiness and otherworldliness of a classic animated film.’ -JazzTimes

‘…Ted Kooshian has obviously found a winning formula with this band, and if they continue to work together, they should suffer no shortage of songs to uncover for their mostly madcap experiments. Rate it four-and-a-half stars or five chuckles.’ ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide

‘…Needless to say, Ted Kooshian’s musical tribute to his favorite movie and television icons brims with vitality and affection, bringing to mind listeners’ remembrances of shows past.’ -Jazzreview.com

‘TED KOOSHIAN’S STANDARD ORBIT QUARTET/Underdog and Other Stories: You might quibble with the a&r on the songs here but you aren’t going to argue with the playing… …Great pop culture/jazz silliness that the world could desperately use a shot in the butt of right now. Hip, hip, hooray for musical insanity done right.’ -MIDWEST RECORD