From Joe Ross, Talent on Display:
Banjo pioneer Jake Schepps finds inspiration in a multitude of places. This album comes a couple years after the notable "Expedition," and continues his erudite exploration of tonal discovery and textural artistic expression. Schepps has an interesting Zen-like approach to original new acoustic music. In fact, this project was named for the 7th Century Japanese poetry collection of the same name. Thus, I sense that Jake views music, not as something that builds to a grand and ultimate climaxing crescendo, but as an adventurous journey that presents evocative thrills in the moment of each musical measure.
In 2006, Schepps attended the Banff Centre’s Jazz and Creative Music Workshop. His arrangement of Astor Piazzolla’s tango, "Todo Buenos Aires," stems from that stimulating, educational experience. It was also there that Schepps was inspired to compose "In the American West," a piece (in three movements) that captures the same spirit as Richard Avedon’s photographic images of working class westerners in an early-1980s exhibit of the same name. Composed for banjo, guitar, violin and bass, the movements (Somerset, Chimayo, Rocky Ford) represent specific towns where portraits were originally photographed. "Chimayo" also features guitarist Greg Schochet’s mandolin-playing (as does Greg’s own bluesy tune "Bluegrass Schlep"). The CD’s other stellar mandolin tracks are played by award-winning Matt Flinner who penned "The Seagull" and produced the album. Ryan Drickey’s violin and Eric Thorin’s bass indicate that both of them are superior instrumentalists too. Thorin toured with the Tony Furtado Band for four years, played with Open Road for about the same time, and is now with The Drew Emmitt Band and The Expedition Quartet (the group featured on this album). Thorin’s own songwriting abilities are portrayed in the mellifluous "Lodi."
Colorado-based Schepps demonstrates a clear affinity for new acoustic, bluegrass, jazz and Latin flavorings. Spending nine years as a trip leader and teacher with The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) near Lander, Wyoming, it was presumably in that locale that Jake was inspired by a local geologic feature to write "The Rise." That landmark is no doubt the source of much contemplation and reflection. Guitarist Adam Aijala joins in on the piece which ebbs, flows, meanders and reawakens like the Popo Agie River in that area. No stranger to wilderness, Jake Schepps confidently takes the paths that are less travelled. In some cases, he merely aligns his compass and sets out cross-country. Assuredly taming that unruly, wild beast that drives his music, Jake Schepps’ challenge is to sustain this vision as his expedition travels even further into daring territory. (Joe Ross)
