William Flynn

Seaside

OA2, 2022

9/10

Listen to Seaside

The inimitable guitar player William Flynn brings along Roger Wilder (piano), Sam Copeland (bass), Brian Steever (drums) and Emily Merrell (vocals) for these rich and modern jazz tunes that are delivered with much attention to detail.

“Follow The Leader” starts the listen with firm keys, as the spirited guitar work enters the quick and upbeat climate of flowing jazz, and “January” follows with the crisp drums and agile bass lines helping make for a warm display.

“Birthday Song” lands at the halfway point and showcases Flynn’s very meticulous guitar playing alongside the charming melodies that you can’t help but admire, while “Sea Song”, one of the two songs with vocals, emits a dreamy quality amid the well timed scatting.

“House On Savannah Street” and “Sundog” exit the listen, where the former finds itself reflective and intimate, and the latter finishes on a very harmonic note that allows all of the players’ respective talents to shine.

A listen that was born from a month long residency in the panhandle community of Seaside, Flynn found himself very much in a reflective mood, and with the Kansas City musicians present he documents that vision superbly.

Travels well with: Ben Morris- Pocket Guides; Rich Pellegrin- Passage