Meet Reviewer Damian Erskine

Michael Janisch
“Purpose Built”
www.michaeljanisch.com

Bass players, jazz lovers, music lovers… you all owe it to yourselves to check this album out! I hadn’t heard Michael Janisch before (well, probably as a side man after reading his credits, but I wasn’t aware of him until now) and he is one of the few bass players out there who plays both electric and upright with equal facility, passion and musicality. This being his debut as a leader, I can honestly say that this may be the best debut album I’ve heard yet. His compositions are grooving AND swinging hard, his band is an elite mix of some of the finest young players on the scene and the music is a satisfying breath of fresh air in a time when most guys are just trying to make a mark. This guy is too busy making music! That makes more of an impression on me and that mark is being made because of content, not fluff!