180

I can't find the words that convey the feelings that emerge from the presence of a great player. It happens once in a while and now is one of those times...
Pat Martino

Diving deep into the classic tradition of the organ trio, DC-based guitarist Shawn Purcell celebrates hard-bop heroes Pat Martino, Grant Green, Wes Montgomery and George Benson, while finding plenty of room for the influence from Scofield, Stern, Bernstein and others. Graced with a stylistically wide-ranging, virtuosic fluidity, Purcell blends effortlessly with Pat Bianchi's driving basslines and rich chording, while drummer Jason Tiemann creates an animated, energizing flow, propelling this set of 10 originals, along with Johnny Mandel's classic, "A Time for Love," into the realm of a 'must-have' for those deep into the B3 trio tradition.

"The combination of soul and relentless drive is what makes Shawn Purcell's music so appealing..."
Sean Jones

Production Info:

Produced by Shawn Purcell
Executive Producers: Darden and Shawn Purcell
Recorded by Charlie Pilzer
at Tonal Park Studio, Takoma Park, MD
February 10-12, 2022
Mixed by Kyle Lehning
at The Compound, Nashville, TN
Mastered by Dave Darlington
at Bass Hit Recording, New York, NY
Front cover photo by Suzette Niess
Cover design & layout by John Bishop

Reviews of 180

Jazz Guitar Today (Zakk Jones)
D.C. area guitarist Shawn Purcell has been a rising name in modern jazz as a prolific performer, composer, and educator. Since the mid-90's he has been a member of the prestigious U.S. military big bands "The Airmen of Note" and the Navy "Commodores", respectively. As an educator, Purcell currently serves as an adjunct professor of jazz studies at ...

Jazz Weekly (George W Harris)
Tensile toned guitarist Shawn Purcell creates a sophisticated organ combo with Pat Bianchi/B3, Jason Tiemann/dr and a couple guests that sounds like a summit meeting between the sophisticatedly bopping Pat Martino and explorative Larry Young. The advanced harmonics and pulses get intricate on the clever "Cat and Mouse" while Tiemann rumbles around ...

LA Jazz Scene (Scott Yanow )
Guitarist Shawn Purcell, who is based in the Washington DC area, worked with the U.S. Air Force's The Airmen Of Note for 15 years and with the US Navy Band Commodores jazz ensemble. He has appeared on over 30 recordings including with singer Darden Purcell, tenor-saxophonist Chip McNeill and trombonist Ben Patterson. In 2019 he led his first album, ...

Az Samad Lessons (Az Samad)
The organ trio setting (organ-guitar-drums) is a classic jazz ensemble configuration that by now has a lot of history to it. Whether it be the older recordings from Wes Montgomery or Pat Martino, to more recent ones from Peter Bernstein and Dave Stryker — so much good guitar playing has been heard over the years in this setting. So, when you w ...

All About Jazz (Jack Bowers)
Guitarist Shawn Purcell's latest CD, 180, is all about swinging; Purcell's trio, Pat Bianchi on Hammond B3 organ, Jason Tiemann on drums, nestles squarely into the groove on the double-quick opener, "Cat and Mouse," which sets an upbeat tone for the album as a whole. The rhythm seldom flags on Purcell's sunny compositions (he wrote all but one o ...

WDCB (Paul Abella)
Guitarist Shawn Purcell is back with a new album, and he put together about as good of an organ trio as you could possibly put together in 2022, with Jason Tiemann behind the drums and Pat Bianchi in the hot seat. In this largely original program, Purcell comes out swingin' on "Cat and Mouse," and romps through a pretty varied set of 11 tunes. He c ...

CirdecSongs (Cedric Hendrix)
Guitarist Shawn Purcell found himself captivated by the six-string sound of the legendary Pat Martino. He's also loves the Hammond organ and the sound it makes within the context of the jazz trio. And so, we arrive at 180, a record that's solid and smooth enough to be mistaken for a granite countertop. Purcell's guitar tone is slightly muted and oc ...

Couleurs Jazz (Paris) (Thomas Houbron)
When Pat Martino, Peter Bernstein or Color Jazz Radio praise your work and your guitar playing, you must be one hell of a "Bad Cat"! "I saw you on YouTube playing Mynabird Blues… you are SMOKING!!!!! Really great!!! Next time you come to New York, let's play some songs!!!" Peter Bernstein Another guitarist that we wanted you to discover in ...

Take Effect (Tom Haugen)
The DC resident and guitarist extraordinaire Shawn Purcell finds himself in the company of Pat Bianchi (Hammond C3 organ), Jason Tieman (drums, cymbals), Darden Purcell (vocals) and Ben Patterson (trombone) for these 11 adventurous tunes that tip their hat to heroes like Pat Martino, Grant Green and Wes Montgomery. "Cat And Mouse" opens the lis ...

Jazziz (Bob Weinberg)
Like so many jazz guitarists, Shawn Purcell was awed by the playing of Pat Martino, whose classic album El Hombre truly opened his ears to the possibilities of the guitar-organ trio. And certainly, Martino's influence echoes throughout 180 (Origin), the Washington, D.C.-based Purcell's most recent release. Teaming up with organ virtuoso Pat Bianchi ...

Wild Mercury Rhythm (C. Michael Bailey)
Dr. Shawn Purcell, originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a jazz guitarist, educator, arranger, and composer living in the Washington DC region. Purcell earned a BS from Duquesne University, an MA in Music from Middle Tennessee State University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz Performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champai ...