Kenny Horst

Witness Kenny Horst.

The Minneapolis and St. Paul territory has long been recognized as a fertile breeding ground for high calibre musicians, and the current crop has to be one of the best ever. To make this record, Kenny Horst assembled the cream of the crop and that includes himself.

One of the area's most popular drummers, Kenny Horst is truly a self-made musician. he has been playing jazz gigs in this territory for many years. He has played with Jimmy ?McGriff, Azar Lawrence and the Edwin Hawkins Singers. He has also done some road work with the Harlem Review, worked a brief tour with Al Hirt, and spent three years teaming up locally with keyboardist Bobby Lyle.

Kenny learned to compose music the same way he learned to play drums -- by simply doing it. He wrote all the tunes on the album and it seems he has taught himself well.

Listening to the high level of cohesion and sensitivity involved in these performances it's difficult to believe that this is merely a recording group and not a working band. But then, top professionals are capable of that sort of deception. The flow of solo and ensemble sections is extremely smooth and the solos themselves without exception are remarkably concise, direct, imaginative, and architecturally sound. These qualities are seldom found with such consistency elsewhere.

-- Ken Hazen