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Listening to Rick Gallagher's Snowriding as I sit in my living room waiting for the sun to come up, I am reminded of just how cool things can be with the right atmosphere and the right music playing. I had trouble downloading to the laptop all of the tracks from the advance CDR copy of Snowriding, so I went a-problem solving, and found the old portable CD boombox, and found a solution somewhat outside my routine (and my comfort zone), and I find that Rick G.'s jazz piano quartet has instantly soothed me back into my comfort zone. Wow!

In addition to his own composition Snowriding, there are another 11 tracks of traditional carols, dressed up in the jazz tradition of such greats as Vince Guaraldi. Gallagher is impressive on piano: playing with a light hand and adept at improv riffing, he makes a cool sound. His band doesn't let him down either. Bassist Paul Thompson, drummer Thomas Wendt, and percussionist George Jones, combine to produce as sweet and complete a jazz ensemble noise as I can remember hearing.

I have never been a huge fan of jazz, but over the years I've become a discerning listener of it. And Rick Gallagher's Snowriding is good jazz.

--Richard Banks
(Reviewed in 2006)

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From the liner notes:

Rick Gallagher, piano
Paul Thompson, bass
Thomas Wendt, drums
George Jones, percussion

Rick Gallagher

Snowriding

Artist site

Track List