 Ralph Alessi already founded the band project “This Against That” several years ago, but this is the first CD, which the group has released internationally. Although Alessi has received a lot of praise time and again over the past 15 years, sometimes as a sideman of Steve Coleman, Uri Caine, Don Byron and many more, his career as a leader is just beginning now. The New York “Twinz” studio, which has ideal conditions for high-quality recordings, was rented for the recordings on “Look”. Suitable compositions were selected from the large repertoire of Alessi, and a great album was recorded with patience, concentration and lots of fun playing. The producers are the trumpeter himself and Volker Dueck. The compositions have very demanding rhythms and melody lines on one hand and require the maximum skill of all the musicians involved. On the other hand, the creative participation of all artists in the overall work can be felt as well as can the effort to create a work that is neither sterile nor academic. To the contrary, the music is clearly structured, but very refined – a CD, which you often enjoy listening to for that reason! The member of the band project are established artists, who have already gained attention playing in other groups. The Canadian Andy Milne played with Steve Coleman for many years and has also toured with other M-Base members and with Carla Cook. He was named “Keyboardist of the Year” by the renowned Jazz Report Magazine in the year 2000. Drew Gress became know through his own projects, but also as a sideman for musicians such as Marc Copland, Fred Hersch, Mat Maneri, Simon Nabatov and many others. Gress is one of the bass players most in demand in New York in our times. Mark Ferber, who grew up in San Francisco, attracted attention especially while playing alongside of Don Byron, Kenny Werner, Fred Hersch and Steve Swallow. Alessi (but also the whole band) has often played with Ravi Coltrane, and the two musicians have been friends for a long time. The son of Alice and John Coltrane (born in 1965) has long since freed himself of the burden of being the son of such a famous musician. His successful career is not based on his name, but rather on his fully rounded sound and his individual way of playing. His guest role on “Look” resulted above all from that. "Alessi’s band, with Andy Milne, Drew Gress and Mark Ferber, was as clean and airy and sophisticated and disciplined as post-modern progressive jazz gets. If Alessi were a baseball pitcher, he would be described as “sneaky fast,” because he has the kind of drop-dead trumpet chops that make impossibly intricate lines sound relaxed. He also writes meticulous, aslant, clever tunes," "Jazz Times" wrote about a concert of "This Against That"...
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