Rob Garcia: Sizzle Ensemble

     I’ve always appreciated truth in advertising, so I’m happy to report that the Sizzle Ensemble helmed by drummer Rob Garcia makes good at the promised excitement of the name. The quintet, an A-team line-up with Shane Endsley on trumpet, Noah Preminger on tenor, Gary Versace on pianos, and Kim Cass on bass, is clearly having a ball right from the start, with their novel arrangement of Thelonious Monk’s theme song, Epistrophy. That’s one of three cover versions in the set, along with Marcus Miller’s Tutu, a staple in Miles Davis concerts in the last part of his career, and Herbie Hancock’s 1965 classic Maiden Voyage, played here with Versace on funky electric piano and bluesy solos from Preminger and Endsley. Garcia composed all the rest, save for Sizzle, a lively group composition and one of the two bonus tracks, noted as “not on the digital release.” The first of his pieces, Early Celebration, captures the raucous energy and cross-conversations of a great party. The tempo accelerates and decelerates, just like the ebb and flow of a convivial gathering. And in truth, the session sounds like just that kind of party. It no doubt helps that Preminger and Cass have been playing and recording together for over a decade, while Garcia and Preminger have collaborated on seven projects since Garcia’s Perennial CD (2009). The versatile multi-keyboard artist Gary Versace is ubiquitous, with well over 150 sessions to his credit since 2000. Trumpeter Endsley, with a bold, fluid sound, has worked with a wide array of musicians since 1996, including Steve Coleman, Ralph Alessi, Ben Allison, and as a member of Kneebody. Maybe all you need to know about Rob Garcia is that he might be the only drummer who’s worked with both Joseph Jarman (LifeTime Visions, 2000) and Woody Allen (soundtrack to Wild Man Blues). Among the many high points are the uptempo strut of Autumn Mischief, the deceptively simple Department of Peace, and the artful groove of Dreambreaker, with Cass setting the pace amid more powerhouse soloing from Preminger and a typically inventive Garcia solo. With each member of the band having worked in many disparate styles of jazz, it gives the members of the Sizzle Ensemble a potent and refined group sound. Seriously recommended. 

Connection Works; Shane Endsley (tpt) Noah Preminger (ts) Gary Versace (p, el p) Kim Cass (b) Rob Garcia (d); New Jersey, November 15, 2025; Epistrophy/ Early Celebration/ Tutu/ Autumn Mischief/ Department of Peace/ River/ Bully/ Maiden Voyage/ The Shadow Nose/ Dreambreaker/ Ghosts Present/ Follow the Thread*/ Sizzle*; 68:37; Tracks marked * are “bonus tracks not on digital release.” www.connectionworks.org