I’ve had my hands on a review copy of the Trevor Dick Band’s debut CD New World for a few months, waiting to be able to review it. Recently, the band released the CD, in digital form, through cdbaby and are in the planning stages a street release/tour this fall.
And it means I can now voice what I’ve been privately telling a few friends: New World is world/jazz/folk fusion at its best.
Trevor and I are friends, having worked together on a few ministry projects. I’ve had the chance to witness the three-year journey he’s taken from the inception of New World to its release. The journey has fraught with challenges but Trevor’s and the band’s devotion to the CD’s music and mission has helped them look past them.
New World might seem like a departure from Trevor’s previous CDs, but anyone who’s seen him live will recognize his signature jazz/fusion stylings. Another key difference: New World is a true collaboration between Trevor and the musicians who have backed him up on previous recordings and during live performances.
New World is world/jazz/folk fusion at its best.
Like any solid ensemble, the Trevor Dick Band is the sum of its parts: Trevor (electric, MIDI and acoustic violin and viola), Tony Lind (electric and acoustic guitar), Will Jarvis (electric and acoustic bass) and Steve Heathcote (drums and percussion). The recording also features keyboard player Brad Toews who’s left for other pursuits. Those parts, individually, are impressive: Will’s performed with everyone from Tito Puente to Amy Sky; Del Shannon to David Clayton-Thomas; Tony’s credits include award-winning works by Ali Mathews, Chris Bray, Jodi Cross, Stephanie Israelson and Deborah Klassen; and Steve’s an award-winning drummer who’s played for Elton John, Shirley Bassey, Rich Little and Bob Newhart.
From the opening track “Perpetuum” to the acoustic reprise of “Schindler’s List” New World travels the physical and musical world. “Ayabanga Village Market,” and “Ifriqiya” have their roots in Trevor’s childhood in Nigeria where his parents were missionaries. Tony’s composition, “Bourbon St. Carnival,” conjures up the sights and sounds of the New Orleans jazz scene. The “East of Sinai Prelude” and “East of Sinai” evoke the turbulence often found in the Middle East.
The Trevor Dick Band also journeys into the world of mainstream music with arrangements of Eric Clapton’s “Change the World,” “Schindler’s List” the theme song from Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning and the title track “New World” which melds the Louis Armstrong hit “What a A Wonderful World” and Anton Dvorak’s “New World Symphony” into a seamless musical narrative.
As I’ve said in other reviews, I judge the quality of a CD by how often it ends up being played on my various devices. If New World were a vinyl LP, the grooves would have long been worn out long ago from being played over and over and over…
From the first time I heard about this project, I expected it to exceed anything Trevor, and, now the Trevor Dick Band, had done before. I haven’t been disappointed. You won’t be either.
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For more information on the New World CD, check www.trevordickband.com