Stretch

Artist Information

Biography

Stretch is an established Boston based group, incorporating jazz, rock, reggae, african, blues, latin, electronica, avant-garde, and psychedelic influences into their tuneful mix.
Stretch combines tight arranging and aggressive jamming with interesting time signatures and polyrhythms and a forward-looking sense of funk. Stretch's high-level jazz savvy and transcendent use of effects add layers of sophistication to Stretch's original tunes and to their improvisational explorations.
The secret of Stretch's chemistry is the dynamic interaction between Mike Hermans' tasty and colorful guitar style, Paul Erlich's ballsy and intense guitar work, George Chinaglia's and Andreas Brade's rhythm foundation, and Dave Hess' soaring saxophones. All sought-after musicians on the Boston scene, together they give Stretch a unique sound that stands out from the jam-band crowd.
Stretch performed at the 2003 Northwest Jazz&Wine festival, shared the bill with such luminaries as John Scofield, Branford Marsalis, and the Jazz Mandolin Project. Stretch honed its sound through weekly gigs at Boston-area clubs such as The Burren, Solas, Kinsale, and The Middle East, and continues gigging and recording throughout the Northeast.

Instrumentation

George Chinaglia-bass.
Paul Erlich-guitar (and sometimes keys as well).
Mike Hermans-guitar.
David Hess-saxophones.
Andreas Brade or Randy Wooten-drums.

Discography

STRETCH DEMO - 3 song EP 2002
STRETCH Live at Northwest Jazz&Wine Festival - 8-song CD 2003
STRETCH full length studio CD 2006

Audio

• Blunderbuss
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• Salif
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• Schizophrenia
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• Bipolar
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Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Metronome Magazine July 2007 [+ Show ]
  

  Stretch couldn't be a more fitting name for this cool sounding improv jazz troupe. Bassist George Ch...Stretch couldn't be a more fitting name for this cool sounding improv jazz troupe. Bassist George Chinaglia, keyboardist-guitarist Paul Erlich, guitarist Mike Hermans and saxophonist David Hess and drummer/percussionists Luis Blanco, Jason Gardner, Andreas Brade and Boey Bertold design clever arrangements and then apply controlled chaos to each track. The outcome is marvelously entertaining. Each player is well equipped to pull off their respective role while allowing plenty of space for their band members to do the same. No genre of music is sacred either. Stretch toys with reggae, straight up jazz, funk and fusion with equal aplomb. Check out the high steppin' "Blunderbuss," featuring Hess' blazing saxophone work, the electric immediacy of "Salif," the moody drone of "Villa Eden," the one-two punch of "Jab," the liquid ooze of "Fluids," the infectious funk of "Schizophrenia," the playful reconstruction of "Space Reggae," or the heavy sway of "Bipolar" and see if you don't agree that Stretch is one of the coolest jazz acts Boston has to offer. Outstanding!

• Northeast Performer Sept 2007 [+ Show ]
  

  Although the fusion genre is often characterized by muddles of cheesy melodies and flashy chop-f... Although the fusion genre is often characterized by muddles of cheesy melodies and flashy chop-fests, Stretch's effort on their debut averts these clichés by exhibiting a level of musical restraint rarely found among musicians who possess such impressive skill. On a very fundamental level, the Boston-based quintet plays a straight-ahead flavor of jazz-rock, yet it is not afraid to experiment with a collection of styles such as reggae, Afro-Cuban, drum 'n' bass, and klezmer.
  The band's precise and steadfast grooves are what stand out most throughout the nine-track disc. Accordingly, Stretch opens the album with a driving funk number entitled "Blunderbuss," which not only sets the tone for the entire album, but also showcases each musician's masterful abilities. Several other tracks on the album ("Jab," "Schizophrenia," "Bigfoot") demostrate a similar style of aggressive funk coupled with extended improvised sections. Their similarities with past Boston acts such as Addison Groove Project and Lettuce are hard to miss.
  It is on the second track, "Salif," where the band begins to exhibit a more cohesive and original voice. Bassist George Chinaglia and drummer Andreas Brade lay down a dark, 12/8 tribal-trance groove that gradually unites with a delay-infused counter melody played by the saxophone and lead guitar. The sax work of David Hess, which hints at elements of Michael Brecker and Joshua Redman, tastefully guides listeneres through an array of improvised dynamic heights. At the ideal times, the band seamlessly drops from an intensified climax down to the mezzo piano head melody.
  While the musical interplay between the members is impressive, each of Stretch's arrangements follow the predictable AABA formula, which ultimately prevents the band from "stretching" true musical boundaries. Nonetheless, any fan of jazz and rock will undoubtedly enjoy this album.

• Know Your Boston magazine July 2003 [+ Show ]
  

  7.17.03 - Thurs Stretch Your Musical Horizons > Funk-jazz-rock-reggae-klezmer-African-jam-blues-psy...7.17.03 - Thurs
  Stretch Your Musical Horizons > Funk-jazz-rock-reggae-klezmer-African-jam-blues-psychedelic-wicked-cool-spicy-hot-wow! And that's only a minuscule description of the sound fusion that is *Stretch*. This is not your average jam band. Check out this progressive, Boston-based-boombastica bad for *FREE*. _Every Thurs. 10:00pm-2:00am. The Middle East Corner, 480 Mass. Ave., Cambridge. Visit www.stretch-music.com for show listings and to listen to MP3s._

Setlist

Sets vary, typically with 4-8 (mostly original) tunes each. Covers include songs by Beatles, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Weather Report, and Morphine. Typical set length is about an hour. We play between one and three sets. Specific song titles available on request.

Basic Requirements

Calendar