No Band Is an Island by Samoa (CD, Pro Jazz Records)

This CD was a great find for me because it replaced a copy that was stolen eleven years earlier. Yes, I've been looking for it for eleven years. I was in the music business back in 1987, and I acquired a promo copy not knowing anything about the music or the band. From the very first note - and all the way through to the last - this music was tight, intruiging and very listenable.

It was so precise and melodic that it was hard to imagine it was not manufactured. Then I opened the rather brief booklet and read that the whole album was recorded live in the studio direct to digital with no overdubs and no re-mixing! Incredible.

I'm not normally a jazz person, but this CD was a must have for me, and not just to replace a stolen copy. The music is that good. The incredible sound and musicianship are remarkable. There's a good mix of uptempo rhythms, ballads, reggae, and fun along with something often lacking with jazz - a melody.

RE-BOP / 'A' SIDE STORY / MORE WE CHANGE /SWEET SPOT / MISTER E / MY LIFETIME INTRO / MY LIFETIME / THE MAIN STREAM / LIGHTIN' IT UP / NEVER ALONE / CONSTANT REMINDER / ONE MORE FRET

David Marden, Phil Kadidlo, Alan Tosel, Mike Hurley, and Dan Thayer are SAMOA with guest musicians Bernie Edstrom, Rick McDonald, and Bruce Kurnow. The band hails from the Minneapolis/St Paul area of Minnesota, and formed in 1981.

Awards include Best Jazz Group 1982, Best Fusion Group 1985, Best Latin group 1986 in the Prestigious Minnesota Music Awards.