''Last Year's Ghost'' is the debut album by Loose Assembly, a quintet led by American jazz drummer Mike Reed featuring alto saxophonist Greg Ward, vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz, cellist Tomeka Reid and bassist Josh Abrams. It was released in 2007 on 482 Music.''Last Year's Ghost''
at 482 Music The recording started in 2005 and completed in 2006, but the original sessions were lost and the album is a re-creation of the lost recordings.

Reception

In his review for AllMusic, Michael G. Nastos says "It's a very interesting and accessible disc worth owning and listening closely to." '' The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' notes that the album "has a highly distinctive sound, with the leader's accurate time-sense a key component on 'Day of the Head' and the later 'Ghost Writer', in double-waltz time." In the later

The Penguin Jazz Guide ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled ...

they reflected "if ever a contemporary record grows with familiarity, this is it" All About Jazz published several reviews: Troy Collins states "A brilliant debut, ''Last Year's Ghost'' merges the austere reverence of chamber music with the scalding intensity of Chicago's historically ebullient free jazz."Collins, Troy
''Last Year's Ghost'' review
at All About Jazz Jerry D'Souza says "The album impresses with its blend of the improvised and the composed."D'Souza, Jerry
''Last Year's Ghost'' review
at All About Jazz Nic Jones notes "Each listen seems to bring new rewards, which makes this one something of a rarity in itself."Jones, Nic
''Last Year's Ghost'' review
at All About Jazz In a review for '' JazzTimes'', Forrest Dylan Bryant states "A unique quintet lineup with alto sax, vibes, cello and bass wraps a dark, velvety texture around vaguely nostalgic ballads, and adds density to surging, uptempo grooves."Bryant, Forrest Dylan
''Last Year's Ghost'' review
at '' JazzTimes'' The Point of Departure review by Bill Shoemaker describes the album as "a well-designed collection of hook-filled tunes and atmospheric interludes" and concludes "Just a few more recordings like ''Last Year’s Ghost'' and Mike Reed will be in the first rank of living American bandleaders."Shoemaker, Bill
''Last Year's Ghost'' review
at Point of Departure

Track listing

:''All compositions by Mike Reed except as indicated'' # "Flowers" (Loose Assembly) – 2:14 # "Day of the Dead" – 7:13 # "Old Souls" – 2:20 # "Afterthoughts" – 6:32 # "1974" (Loose Assembly) – 1:51 # "The Entire State of Florida" – 7:34 # "Exorcism" (Loose Assembly) – 1:58 # "Simone's Crumbs" – 4:24 # "Temporary States" – 0:23 # "Ghost Writer" – 5:50 # "Dreaming with Jill" – 5:10

Personnel

* Mike Reed –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

* Josh Abrams –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

* Jason Adasiewicz - vibraphone * Tomeka Reid – cello *Greg Ward – alto sax

References

{{Authority control 2007 albums Mike Reed (musician) albums