The Things i am by Reuben Rogers

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Reggae | Traditional Jazz Combo

11 tracks | 64 minutes

Released May 2006
on Renwick Entertainment Inc.

Click for a 30-second preview. All tracks are 192kbps high fidelity sound quality. Protected WMA $0.77 or unprotected MP3 $0.88.

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sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 07:05 Wala Wala lyrics BUY MP3 07:05 Wala Wala lyrics "GIFT MP3" 07:05 Wala Wala

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 06:03 anoreV lyrics BUY MP3 06:03 anoreV lyrics "GIFT MP3" 06:03 anoreV

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 05:44 Ting for Ray lyrics BUY MP3 05:44 Ting for Ray lyrics "GIFT MP3" 05:44 Ting for Ray

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 01:43 St.Thomas(interlude) lyrics BUY MP3 01:43 St.Thomas(interlude) lyrics "GIFT MP3" 01:43 St.Thomas(interlude)

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 06:49 Shed lyrics BUY MP3 06:49 Shed lyrics "GIFT MP3" 06:49 Shed

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 06:23 Phillip lyrics BUY MP3 06:23 Phillip lyrics "GIFT MP3" 06:23 Phillip

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 03:57 Fungi Mama lyrics BUY MP3 03:57 Fungi Mama lyrics "GIFT MP3" 03:57 Fungi Mama

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 07:07 The Things i am lyrics BUY MP3 07:07 The Things i am lyrics "GIFT MP3" 07:07 The Things i am

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 06:24 The nearness of you lyrics BUY MP3 06:24 The nearness of you lyrics "GIFT MP3" 06:24 The nearness of you

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 04:23 Just in time lyrics BUY MP3 04:23 Just in time lyrics "GIFT MP3" 04:23 Just in time

sample lyrics "DOWNLOAD" 09:19 Alleviation lyrics BUY MP3 09:19 Alleviation lyrics "GIFT MP3" 09:19 Alleviation

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A mix of Caribbean roots, swing and blues, bassist Reuben Rogers stirs the pot with an impressive lineup of today’s jazz elite. Pulse for pulse, Rogers proves that “The Thing he is”, is no longer just a sideman, but a confident leader with a vision.

Editorial review

Some jazz improvisers keep so busy in a sideman capacity that they take a long time to start recording as a leader. It isn't that they are opposed to providing their own albums; rather, it's a question of finding the time to do so. Bassist Reuben Rogers had appeared on at least 50 jazz releases when, in late 2005/early 2006, he finally got around to recording his first album as a leader, The Things I Am, at the age of 31. Although some electric instruments are used at times (Aaron Goldberg is heard on both electric keyboards and acoustic piano), this is essentially a straight-ahead post-bop/hard bop effort, and the well-known participants include Joshua Redman (tenor sax), Ron Blake (tenor sax, baritone sax, alto flute), Nicholas Payton (trumpet) and Mark Whitfield (guitar). With that cast, one might expect to hear a stellar, five-star masterpiece; The Things I Am isn't a stellar, five-star masterpiece, but it's definitely respectable. Rogers is clearly a skillful bassist -- he has demonstrated that on many occasions -- and this 65-minute CD (which he co-produced with Blake) proves that he is a talented composer as well. The Caribbean improviser wrote five of the eleven tracks, including the probing "Alleviation," the contemplative "Anorev" and the reggae-influenced title track (which contains some good-natured baritone sax work from Blake). Rogers embraces a few warhorses (most notably, Jule Styn's "Just in Time" and Hoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness of You"), but gratefully, he doesn't inundate listeners with tunes that have been recorded too many times for their own good. Again, The Things I Am falls short of exceptional, but it is a solid outing that makes one glad Rogers finally got around to launching his recording career as a leader. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide

Bio / Background

PERSONNEL:

Reuben Rogers - Bass,Acoustic Electric Bass

Ron Blake - Tenor & Baritone Saxophone,Alto Flute

Joshua Redman - Ten.Saxophone

Nicholas Payton – Trumpet

Aaron Goldberg – Piano,Rhodes

Greg Hutchinson –Drums

Adam Cruz-Steel drum

Kahlil Kwame Bell-Percussion

David Gilmore – Guitar

Mark Whitfield - Guitar

Reuben R. Rogers has a natural penchant for story telling. And Rogers, himself, will be the first to tell you his skills have coalesced under the influence of his impressive contemporaries.

Rogers' ability to transport the emotion of a piece into his accompaniment is akin to that of a fine woven tapestry, creating a blanket of rhythm and harmony that is welcomed by vocalists and instrumentalists alike. From a hard-hitting groove to a featherlike touch, with each interjection, Rogers echoes an affirmation of the soloist’s statement, rendering a musical conversation in which the narrative is smoothly passed.