THE BEST INDY JAZZ CD OF RECENT YEARS!
by Brent Karasek
My favorite instrument in the world is the drums and Isaiah Stewart really knows how to play them. He has chops that are not from this world, but Stewart also knows how to compose really great music. LIFE GAMES is loaded with some fantastic tunes in every style of music you could imagine: rock, jazz, funk, swing, latin, fusion, new age, etc. Styles meant to represent the wide versatility of life itself. From the start of the CD to the finish, you know you have just experiened something very special.
"Midtown Funk" comes to mind as a contender for best cut. It offers an infectous dance groove and catchy melody that just lifts your spirits and takes you away. You feel so chilled-out and happy listening to that song. The song (as is the entire CD) is full of soulful emotion. It's exciting! It's fun. It's deep. It never stops grooving. And it makes you feel great!
Another song that stands out is the uptempo swing jazz song "Vortex." The piano playing on it by keyboardest Joshua Stewart (Isaiah's brother) is not to be believed. (His fingers are so fast it's hard to believe anyone can play that fast.)
With LIFE GAMES, Isaiah has captured the essence of music that truly is life . . . the GOOD life. But there are no games on LIFE GAMES. It is 100% classic instrumental music that will never age, but will just get better with time. In a world of pre-fab alternative and rap music manufactured for 12-year olds, and sweet-as-a-toothache smooth jazz, it is SO NICE to finally have a indy musician like Isaiah who has musical integrity and proves that jazz is vital, and can be hard-hitting as well as soft . . . and can be as versatile as the most limitless imagination.
LIFE GAMES is frankly my favorite CD right now. It is the best indy jazz CD of recent years (and I have worn it out, listening to it for nearly five years). This CD is nothing less than a modern instrumental classic that should be in everyone's deserted-island CD collection.
