{"id":11670,"date":"2025-12-05T07:28:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T13:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=11670"},"modified":"2025-12-08T15:19:52","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T21:19:52","slug":"review-stand-up-jerome-sabbagh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/review-stand-up-jerome-sabbagh\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Jerome Sabbagh\u2019s \u2018Stand Up!\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Over the last few years, tenor saxophonist Jerome Sabbagh has released recordings thst featured his dulcet tones with several jazz&nbsp;elders &#8211; Kenny Barron&nbsp;<em>(Vintage<\/em> (Sunnyside, 2023)) and the late drummer Al Foster&nbsp;<em>(Heart<\/em> (Analog Tone Factory, 2024)). With <em>Stand Up! <\/em>(Analog Tone Factory, 2025), Sabbagh returns with&nbsp;this twenty-year running quartet with guitarist&nbsp;Ben Monder,&nbsp;bassist&nbsp;Joe Martin, and&nbsp;newly added drummer&nbsp;Nasheet Waits for their first release in over a decade. In part, the delay came because the leader wanted to capture the band on his own label,&nbsp;Analog Tone Factory, which specializes in performing live in the same room, recording exclusively to analog&nbsp;tape. But even as time progresses, so much remains the same. The album takes its name from a composition the quartet recorded on their second album,&nbsp;<em>Pogo <\/em>(Sunnyside, 2007), nearly twenty years ago in response to the political environment of the time. And while much has changed between the second Bush administration and the second Trump, the heart of the work retains apt in the continued political circus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"lyte-wrapper fourthree\" style=\"width:420px;max-width:100%;margin:5px;\"><div class=\"lyMe\" id=\"WYL_jo0UTZnzV60\"><div id=\"lyte_jo0UTZnzV60\" data-src=\"\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/jo0UTZnzV60\/hqdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/jo0UTZnzV60\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/jo0UTZnzV60\/0.jpg?resize=420%2C295&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"YouTube video thumbnail\" width=\"420\" height=\"295\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:420px;margin:5px;\"><\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLone Jack\u201d opens the record with a smooth, flowing country feel, nodding to Ray Charles\u2019 work on&nbsp;<em>Modern&nbsp;Sounds in Country and Western Music <\/em>(Tangerine, 1962). It is a rather unusual opener, even more so after hearing guitarist&nbsp;Monder play strains that seem to meld a twangy Telecaster with a pedal steel through one guitar. The&nbsp;song takes its name from the Missouri hometown of pianist and producer Pete Rende, Sabbagh\u2019s partner in&nbsp;his label. &nbsp;The music stays at a slow simmer for the ballad \u201cMichelle\u2019s Song,\u201d featuring a strong,&nbsp;elegant solo from Martin. \u201cLunar Cycle\u201d borrows from Sam Rivers\u2019 \u201cCyclic Episode\u201d that appeared on<em>&nbsp;Fuchsia<\/em>&nbsp;<em>Swing Song<\/em> (Blue Note, 1965). While Rivers is known for his edgy stance, Sabbagh and Monder deliver&nbsp;melodic lines in the piece, making it accessible. Waits churns it up on the kit. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"lyte-wrapper fourthree\" style=\"width:420px;max-width:100%;margin:5px;\"><div class=\"lyMe\" id=\"WYL_XmAn7wMMWLM\"><div id=\"lyte_XmAn7wMMWLM\" data-src=\"\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/XmAn7wMMWLM\/hqdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/XmAn7wMMWLM\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/XmAn7wMMWLM\/0.jpg?resize=420%2C295&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"YouTube video thumbnail\" width=\"420\" height=\"295\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:420px;margin:5px;\"><\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sabbagh claims that much of the warm lyricism in his playing owes to his affinity for vocalists. That\u2019s on clear&nbsp;display in the soulful mid-temp ballad \u201cThe Break Song,\u201d dedicated to Stevie Wonder. \u201cHigh&nbsp;Falls,\u201d like \u201cMichelle\u2019s Song,\u201d is dedicated to a special friend and stays on the mellow side, with Brazilian tinges and&nbsp;sharp picking from Monder.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not until the sixth track, \u201cMosh Pit,\u201d that the quartet explodes behind Waits\u2019 thunder, Sabbah\u2019s ferocity, and&nbsp;mostly Monder\u2019s aggressive attack reminiscent of recordings by The Bad Plus and with recent outings by Donny&nbsp;McCaslin. The tune is dedicated to Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails <em>, <\/em>whose<em> Downward Spiral<\/em>&nbsp;(Nothing\/Interscope, 1994) and&nbsp;<em>The Fragile<\/em>&nbsp;(Nothing\/Interscope, 1999) are among Sabbagh\u2019s favorites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"lyte-wrapper fourthree\" style=\"width:420px;max-width:100%;margin:5px;\"><div class=\"lyMe\" id=\"WYL_pz9RbpXG7I4\"><div id=\"lyte_pz9RbpXG7I4\" data-src=\"\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/pz9RbpXG7I4\/hqdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/pz9RbpXG7I4\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/pz9RbpXG7I4\/0.jpg?resize=420%2C295&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"YouTube video thumbnail\" width=\"420\" height=\"295\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:420px;margin:5px;\"><\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The quartet quickly moves to more ethereal tones in \u201cVanguard,\u201d dedicated to the late Paul Motian, with whom&nbsp;Sabbagh and Monder were trio mates shortly before the drummer passed in 2011. The piece is closer is the sublimely&nbsp;gorgeous ode to Kenny Barron, \u201cUnbowed,\u201d featuring highly sensitive playing from each member.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the music on <em>Stand Up! <\/em>does not ostensibly take an antagonistic or rallying stance to the politics of our era, the album art does. Italian&nbsp;photographer Michele Palazzo uses light effectively on the front cover to suggest a sci-fi dystopia. On the back, he depicts a lone human figure set against an intimidating concrete wall. This cold, threatening&nbsp;imagery, however, belies the music, which is varied but largely gentle and warm. &nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>\u2018Stand Up!\u2019 is out now on Analog Tone Factory. It can be purchased <a href=\"https:\/\/jeromesabbagh.bandcamp.com\/album\/stand-up-feat-ben-monder-joe-martin-nasheet-waits\">on Bandcamp<\/a>. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Over the last few years, tenor saxophonist Jerome Sabbagh has released recordings thst featured his dulcet tones with several jazz&nbsp;elders &#8211; Kenny Barron&nbsp;(Vintage (Sunnyside, 2023)) and the late drummer Al Foster&nbsp;(Heart (Analog Tone Factory, 2024)). With Stand Up! (Analog Tone Factory, 2025), Sabbagh returns with&nbsp;this twenty-year running quartet with guitarist&nbsp;Ben Monder,&nbsp;bassist&nbsp;Joe Martin, and&nbsp;newly added drummer&nbsp;Nasheet [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":11669,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"iawp_total_views":52,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Review: Jerome Sabbagh\u2019s \u2018Stand Up!\u2019","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[1441,1442,1437,1438,1422,1436,1439,1415,1440,1435],"class_list":["post-11670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews","tag-acoustic-jazz","tag-analog-tape","tag-analog-tone-factory","tag-ben-monder","tag-jazz-quartet","tag-jerome-sabbagh","tag-joe-martin","tag-live-recording","tag-nasheet-waits","tag-tenor-saxophone"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/img_2807.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/peRkRR-32e","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11407,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/review-mccaslin-lullaby-lost\/","url_meta":{"origin":11670,"position":0},"title":"Review: Donny McCaslin\u2019s \u2018Lullaby for the Lost\u2019","author":"Jim Hynes","date":"October 6, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Saxophonist-composer Donny McCaslin is determined to move way beyond conventional concepts of jazz,\u00a0 jazz-rock fusion, or any label you want to ascribe to his music. Just when we didn\u2019t think his music could be louder and more rock-influenced than I Want More (Edition, 2023),\u00a0 he kicks it up a couple\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Album Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Album Reviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/img_1904.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/img_1904.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/img_1904.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/img_1904.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9995,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/anthony-dean-harris-2024\/","url_meta":{"origin":11670,"position":1},"title":"Anthony Dean-Harris\u2019 Favorite Albums of 2024","author":"Anthony Dean-Harris","date":"December 29, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"[Editor\u2019s Note: We are excited to have Anthony Dean-Harris join us again for our year-end lists. Anthony is a longtime friend to the site, a Downbeat contributor, and the former Editor-in-Chief of Nextbop back when that site was both enjoyable and relevant. He's also a great broadcaster. After many years\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Best of Lists&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Best of Lists","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/lists-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/img_0350-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/img_0350-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/img_0350-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/img_0350-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6259,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/green-thumb-ake\/","url_meta":{"origin":11670,"position":2},"title":"Review: David Ake&#8217;s &#8216;Green Thumb&#8217;","author":"John Chacona","date":"July 19, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"It takes daring for a producer to lead off a recording with a ballad. When that producer is Marc Free of Posi-Tone Records, a label known for scorching hard bop, the album particularly demands attention. With\u00a0Green Thumb\u00a0(Posi-Tone Records, 2023), pianist David Ake generously provides a varied program of surprising, even\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Album Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Album Reviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/David-Ake-Green-Thumb-cover1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/David-Ake-Green-Thumb-cover1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/David-Ake-Green-Thumb-cover1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/David-Ake-Green-Thumb-cover1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5812,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/avram-fefer-juba-lee\/","url_meta":{"origin":11670,"position":3},"title":"Review: Avram Fefer\u2019s \u2018Juba Lee\u2019","author":"John Chacona","date":"May 1, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"F\u200b\u200bor the last quarter of the 20th century, Italian labels Black Saint and Soul Note issued an influential series of recordings by Black American artists, including the World Saxophone Quartet and its members Hamiet Bluiett, Julius Hemphill, Oliver Lake, and David Murray. These records were hardly blowing sessions, but their\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Album Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Album Reviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/AvramFefer_JubaLee_By-Daryl-Tilman.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/AvramFefer_JubaLee_By-Daryl-Tilman.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/AvramFefer_JubaLee_By-Daryl-Tilman.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/AvramFefer_JubaLee_By-Daryl-Tilman.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5804,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/april-2023-capsule-reviews\/","url_meta":{"origin":11670,"position":4},"title":"April 2023 Capsule Reviews","author":"PostGenre Writing Staff","date":"April 27, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"For April, Brian Kiwanuka and Rob Shepherd provide capsule reviews of four recordings by saxophonists who are pushing music in new directions: Ingrid Laubrock\u2019s\u00a0The Last Quiet Place\u00a0(Pyroclastic, 2023) [which you can also read more about here], James Brandon Lewis\u2019\u00a0Eye of I\u00a0(Anti, 2023), Ben Wendel's All One\u00a0(Edition, 2023), and John Zorn's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Capsule Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Capsule Reviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/reviews\/capsule-reviews-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/img_5257.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/img_5257.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/img_5257.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/img_5257.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11670"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11670\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11684,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11670\/revisions\/11684"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11669"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}