Article from the Times Argus, 2009

The wait is over. The first-ever CD by Vermont's famed jazz/blues band Kilimanjaro, "Homecoming," has been released. Topping off the release will be a CD release concert on Saturday at Contois Auditorium at Burlington City Hall at 8 p.m. But be forewarned, the hall holds only 300 and tickets have been on sale for two weeks.

"Homecoming" is not the band's first recording. In 1981 it released a self-titled LP and another a few years later. The band toured extensively and played several important festivals, including Montreux in Switzerland, the Montreal International Jazz Festival, the Newport Jazz Festival and others in Atlanta and San Antonio. The four original members, guitarist Paul Asbell, electric-bass guitarist Tony Markellis, drummer Bill Kinzie and keyboardist Chas Eller, got together in 1977.

The same players also became the backing band for the late Big Joe Burrell, Burlington's legendary bluesman. With him, they took the title of the Unknown Blues Band, and in that guise toured the Soviet Union and played in Holland. Based in the Queen City, they held down a regular spot at Hunt's, the now-defunct Burlington nightclub.

Kilimanjaro seemed to have been left in suspended animation as its members pursued other musical paths. Eller is Vermont's top pop recording engineer and studio maven. His studio has a list of clients too long to mention. Asbell has released two very successful primarily acoustic albums and plays a variety of gigs with an assortment of sidemen or solo. Markellis is a sought after studio musician. Kinzie left the music business in the late 1980s and eventually Lucas Adler became the drummer.

"Homecoming" is a nine-song album. Asbell wrote or co-wrote all the songs with Eller contributing to three of the tracks. The core band is augmented by a number of horn players including Dave Grippo, Michael Zsoldos, Dave Ellis, Don Glasgo, Jennifer Hartswick and Chris Peterman. Will Galison contributes harmonica on one number. Famed jazz percussionist Lenny Castro also appears on several cuts. Thus, "Homecoming" is an ensemble album with a lot more music than the four band members could produce on their own.

What I found most appealing on this recording was its light, up-tempo and frankly summery sound. Listening as I did, in the depth of a very cold January day, I was taken to a June morning, with a green lawn and a warm sun to savor, cats lulling in the brightness of the day and a feeling that, yes, winter doesn't last forever. There's an abundance of Latin rhythms here, some world beat and a touch of funk in the mix. The band plays with the confidence and ease that comes with over 30 years as a team.

Kilimanjaro's sound is based around Asbell's guitar wizardry, Eller's chameleon keyboard sounds, Markellis' semi-rock bass groove and Adler's strong rhythms. The various horn players add another layer of melody and fill in the sound. What we get is almost "big band" in approach. Kilimanjaro got its inspiration for this CD after performing at the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival in 2006. They say they're going to take to the road again to perform. If they do, they'll need a large tour bus, as this album would be hard to recreate without the horn section.

As it is, there are a lot of jazz fans who can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that one of the best jazz ensembles of the past three decades has returned to the studio and produced an excellent "first" CD. If you can make it to the release party, Peterman on tenor saxophone will join the core band. He's a very lyrical player and a favorite of this writer.