Beyond Borders Seattle Joe's Figures of Speech Is As As Is Open Door Beyond Borders (2007) Sandy Prager - Classical and 12-String Guitars Phil Scarff- Soprano and Alto Saxophones Rich Appleman- Bass The art form of jazz improvisation is, at its best, an adventure in empathy. In this recording, you’ll find three musicians who listen to one another, are willing to take chances, and truly enjoy each other’s musical company. In the almost 10 years we’ve played together, we’ve come to trust and listen to each other with open ears and an open heart. I think this recording shows that. All is the way it went down in the studio. Are there mistakes? Yes, you might hear a few, but more importantly, you hear expressiveness, playfulness, and most importantly, interplay. Read more Beyond Borders reviews Beyond Borders MP3s     1   Bay Street   2   From Ragas To Riches   3   Folk Song   4   Baile De Los Muertos   5   The Way Home   6   Orange Marmalade   7   Greeneyes   8   Suit & Tired   9   Blues For Indira   9   Mango Momma   10   Los Olas Boulevard Seattle Joe's (2001) Sandy Prager - Classical and 12-String Guitar Jerry Leake - Percussion John Lockwood - Bass Sandy Prager leads a trio featuring Jerry Leake (percussion) and John Lockwood (bass) in Seattle Joe's, an all-original program of a dozen tunes. There's a refreshing vigor about this music, notably because Prager plays acoustic guitar in a compelling fusion mode. The band's most impressive in "The Eggman" and the cool groove of the atmospheric "Parrot Jungle," while the funky variations of "Seattle Joe's," "Bossa Child," and the dynamic ballad "Six More" showcase Prager's strengths as a solo player. Recommended. — MR, Cadence Magazine Read more Seattle Joe's reviews Seattle Joe's MP3s   1   The Eggman 2   Seattle Joe's   3   Shine Every Day 4   The Mod Squad (or Shonberg A-go-go)   5   Six More 6   Moroccan Sundance   7   Parrot Jungle   8   Cat & Mouse   9   Aldebaran   10   The Chase   11   Dinner At Eight   12   Bossa Child Figures of Speech (1992) Sandy Prager - Classical and 12-String Guitar Mark Chenevert - Clarinet Imagine hearing Ralph Towner and Paul McCandless dueting without the rest of Oregon. That's a way to begin to describe this Boston-based duo. There are folk, jazz, klezmer and western classical elements to be heard as well as lots of improvised surprises. Prager plays classical and 12-string guitars and wrote the tunes. As a player, he is deft and creative, with a strong classical bent; his compositions flow beautifully. Chenevert plays clarinet with a fluid, agile grace and improvises like a master. Throughout, the duo seem determined to bring as much lyricism as possible to the music, and they're successful - the melodies flow like a river, with composition and improv meeting so seamlessly that in many places they are indistinguishable. Prager adn Chenevert have a long history together, and their palpable rapport shows it. A lot of recent improvised or semi-improv music seems off-putting, as though the listener doesn't matter. Not the case here. I find myself enjoying what I hear and appreciating the artistry in equal measures. — Bart Grooms, Option Magazine Figures of Speech MP3s     1   Blues for India   2   Moroccan Sundance/Bossa Chile   3   Leaves of Clouds   4   Mood Limbo   5   Eddies   6   Improvisation   7   Around the Bend   8   Ya Hee   9   Childs Play   10   Dopey Ted (or How I Learned to Love the African Bossa)   11   Menemsha Is As As Is (1998) Sandy Prager - Classical and 12-String Guitar Tony Sumbury - Bass Frank Molina - Percussion This all-instrumental guitar-led recording is the brilliant compositional crafting of Sandy Prager. Some albums such as this can run the risk of inducing boredom — not Is As As Is. Sandy makes sure there are some interesting musical twists thrown into each song. The album is a conglomerate of innovative pieces that run from simple 12-string acoustic numbers, to ethnic-sounding guitar pieces, to jass tunes, to a style that cannot be defined. He incorporates — with the help of marvelous rhythm-makers Frank Molina and Tony Sumbury on bass — jazz-based riffs with intricate acoustic guitar U-turns. The songs at times mesmerized me and led my mind to wander, while others built and built to such a passionate musical peak that I couldn't help but stop and let it be consuming. "Aldebron" particularly grabbed me, and "Consciousness Takes a Vacation," "Bossa Chile" and "Through the Looking Glass" were captivating. Nice fresh change from the ordinary. I found this recording beautiful. — Debbie Catalano, New England Performer Is As As Is MP3s     1   Postcard   2   Tampa Bay   3   Aldeberon   4   Dopey Ted (or how I learned to live without the African bossa)   5   Jan   6   Walk Away   7   Consciousness Takes A Vacation   8   Bossa Chile   9   Through The Looking Glass   10   Morning Song Open Door (1987) Sandy Prager - Classical and 12-String Guitar Jeff Leonard - Reeds Ted Meyerson - Bass Eric Hahn - Percussion Open Door MP3s     1   Latch Key   2   Northeast Kingdom   3   Perfessor Gallaway's Lost Bear   4   Greenpeace   5   To The Front   6   Blues For Indira   All music composed by Sandy Prager ©2008 BonnieAnn music