# New CD – 2025: Ellen Rowe Quartet – Vinton’s Cove: Review, Video, new CD cover

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2025/11/27/new-cd-2025-ellen-rowe-quartet-vintons-cove-review-video-new-cd-cover/
- Published: 2025-11-27T08:00:30+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**Ellen Rowe’s new record, Vinton’s Cove, feels like a quiet getaway — the kind 
of place where the water barely ripples, the birds call back and forth across the
lake, and the days move a little slower. **

Her quartet settles into that mood right away on “The Loons of Vinton’s Cove.” Rowe
sets the tune in motion with a few clear, well-shaped piano phrases, opening it 
like sunlight on the lake. Mike Sakash’s sax slips in behind her, relaxed and almost
weightless.

The melody is simple, the groove easy, and Rowe’s solo stays focused and concise—
right-hand lines that glide forward while her left hand tucks in soft supporting
chords. The rhythm section keeps the tune grounded. Dennis Carroll’s bass has a 
melodic lean to it, choosing notes that fit the mood, and Pete Siers ’brushwork 
keeps everything steady and warm.

What jumps out is how good this album sounds. Recorded at Willis Sound — a renovated
Michigan church outfitted with old-style reverb plates — the music has a warm, open
feel to it. Those plates are basically large metal sheets that vibrate when sound
hits them, creating a natural, rounded echo that engineers used on countless classic
Blue Note records.

It adds a little space around the instruments without making anything feel washed
out. Rowe’s piano has a clear, ringing presence, Sakash’s sax sits comfortably in
the room, and the rhythm section comes through with real definition.

“Refractions” leans into the album’s calm, inviting atmosphere. Sakash’s soprano
glides effortlessly over Rowe’s steady, lyrical piano lines, creating a sense of
space that feels open and natural. The drums are light and understated, letting 
the melody breathe, and the tune unfolds with a gentle, relaxed confidence.

Instead of easing in, Rowe drops a bold opening line and Sakash answers right away
in “Clipped In Blues.” There’s some early back-and-forth that gives the tune a little
spark before the rhythm section settles them into a understated shuffle. Even then,
Rowe keeps the solo smooth, almost like she’s choosing not to lean too hard even
when the door’s open.

Sunny Wilkinson appears on two tracks, and her presence changes the texture of the
music. On “The Phoenix,” she floats mostly in the upper register with a delicate,
multi-octave voice that can drop down smoothly when the tune calls for it. She scats
effortlessly, weaving around flurries of Rowe’s piano, which mirrors her lightness.

She scats effortlessly, weaving around Rowe’s flurries of piano that echo her lightness
Sakash plays quietly, letting her take the lead, while Siers delivers a short but
tasty drum solo that pushes the momentum. When the vocal returns, the interplay 
between voice, piano, and sax has already created a sense of playful lift.

On “Sylvan Way,” Wilkinson sings in a lower, warmer register, using light vibrato
and phrasing that’s poised and conversational. She never pushes the sound — it’s
expressive without needing volume or theatrics, and Rowe’s piano responds in kind,
giving the vocal space to shine.

Rowe’s version of “Both Sides Now” takes the song to an uncommonly slow, introspective
pace. It’s lovely and lyrical, leaning into a more melancholy side than the original,
giving the song a reflective, deeply expressive mood. “All The Things You Are” moves
at a comfortable mid-tempo, letting the band stretch out just enough, while the 
closer, “I’ll Remember April,” brings a brighter, West Coast-style energy, complete
with tempo shifts the group navigates effortlessly.

It’s lakeside music in every sense: still water, steady breeze, no storms coming
in. Lovely, but so even that after a while the horizon starts to look the same. 
Still, the album is a pleasure to hear — Rowe’s touch on the piano is warm and precise,
Sakash’s sax floats effortlessly, and Carroll and Siers provide a rhythm section
that’s both subtle and nimble.

Sunny Wilkinson’s vocals add sparkling highlights. Vinton’s Cove is recorded beautifully:
the natural reverb of Willis Sound gives every note room to breathe, making the 
quartet’s interplay feel immediate and alive. It may not shock or surprise, but 
there’s a refined skill and an undeniable charm here that make the album quietly
rewarding.

<Liner Notes – “Vinton’s Cove”   Ellen Rowe Quartet featuring Mike Sakash, saxophonist
and special guest vocalist Sunny Wilkinson.

Vinton’s Cove is located in Maine, but not the touristy, coastal part of Maine that
most people are familiar with. It is located instead on Kezar Lake, a nine-mile-
long jewel tucked in halfway up the Maine/New Hampshire border and is the site of
our family cabin, built in the mid 1950’s.

Several of the pieces on this album were either written there or were inspired by
the nature there, including the title track, “The Loons of Vinton’s Cove”, which
was written in tribute to the pair of Common Loons that have tried to nest there
for the last five years. Unfortunately, their attempts have been unsuccessful so
far due to egg-grabbing raccoons. A group of loon experts and enthusiasts known 
as the “Loon Rangers” build floating raft nests, patrol the lake checking on loon
pairs and nests and generally providing advocacy and education for lake residents.
This tune is also written in honor of their efforts!

“Refractions” was inspired by the different ways in which light refracts in a prism
or in water (thinking about the sunlight on our cove, for example); I tried to explore
ways in which a single note can seemingly “refract”, change color or resolve in 
different directions, depending on its relationship to the given chord at that moment.
Mike Sakash’s soprano sax on this is exquisite and captures the mood perfectly. “
Clipped In Blues” was written after an embarrassing (and only slightly painful) 
bike accident that occurred while I was chatting with a neighbor at the end of my
driveway but forgot that I still had one foot clipped into the pedals and fell over
attempting to dismount. I’ve painted not-so-subtle imagery of the event into the
piece.  On “The Phoenix” I got to collaborate with my great friend Sunny Wilkinson,
extraordinary vocalist, lyricist, educator and potter. She provided wonderful lyrics
for the tune and perfectly captured the spirit and energy of the piece in her performance.

Kenny Wheeler is one of my musical heroes. A remarkable trumpeter and flugelhornist,
composer and arranger, he was one of the most humble and unassuming people I have
ever known. “Kind Folk” is a perfect example of his ability to craft beautiful melodies
and chords that make perfect sense but move in unexpected ways.  We feature our 
great bassist Dennis Carroll on this one as well as Mike, this time on alto sax.“
Ebb & Flow” is a showcase for drummer Pete Siers who has been with me on all but
one of my albums. I am so fortunate that he lives less than two miles away from 
me! He and his wife Steph helped inspire me to get into long distance running and
high-altitude mountaineering (thanks guys!).

I grew up listening to Carole King, Carly Simon, Judy Collins and of course, Joni
Mitchell. Reworking songs that are as iconic as “Both Sides Now” can be a dangerous
proposition, but this was done with great love and respect, and I’d like to think
she would approve if she ever got to hear it. Speaking of iconic tunes, “All The
Things You Are” has always been one of my favorite tunes to improvise over, even
if the melody itself is not especially inspiring. I have given it a slightly different
twist by cleverly (if I do say so myself) reversing the direction of the time-honored
Parker/Gillespie intro and allowing that to set the tone for the treatment. “Sylvan
Way” is the very first tune that I ever committed to paper and played with others.
I actually wrote it at our cabin on Vinton’s Cove and it is the title of my first
CD, recorded back in 2001. Once again, Sunny Wilkinson provides lyrics that perfectly
capture the mood that I intended. We opted to do this duo to celebrate our great
friendship and musical sympatico. We close the album with our arrangement of “I’ll
Remember April”. While I provided the treatment of the melody, Dennis provided the
nice new set of changes that we improvise over initially.

It would be an understatement to say that the world is not a particularly happy 
place right now. I hope that the music on this album can provide some balm for wounded
souls or at least a brief respite from the stress and chaos of current events.

For CD sleeve pocket: I feel so blessed to have been able to bring this group of
wonderful musicians together for this album. Their sensitivity, amazing musicianship
and great energy made this a very special project for me.  This would not have been
possible without the talents of our terrific engineer Ben Lorenz and his invitation
to come record at his studio, Willis Sound (with reverb plates in the basement!).
His belief in the project has meant the world to me. Chris Goosman did a fabulous
job of mastering for us and Ted Chesky provided the great artwork and design layout.
The cover photo credit goes to my brother Randy Rowe, who is lucky enough to see
Vinton’s Cove every day. The beautiful loon photo was taken by Laura Robinson – 
artist, photographer and Loon Ranger extraordinaire.  Special thanks to the University
of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance for providing financial support for
this project. Thanks also to Smokin’ Sleddog Records’ Jamie-Sue Seal, who has been
a constant source of support and to Lydia Liebman for her promotional brilliance
and professional acumen.

This album is dedicated to the combined Rowe and Vinton clans who have celebrated
the beauty of Vinton’s Cove together for over 75 years.  And, of course, the loons
>,- an interview with us said **Ellen Rowe**

**We also recommend that you purchase this CD from here and enjoy it..**

1. The Loons of Vinton’s Cove
 2. Refractions 3. Clipped In Blues 4. The Phoenix
5. Kind Folk 6. Ebb & Flow 7. Both Sides Now 8. All The Things You Are 9. Sylvan
Way 10. I’ll Remember April

**Ellen Rowe – Piano**
 **Mike Sakash – Saxophones** **Dennis Carroll – Bass** **
Pete Siers – Drums**

Featured Guest:
 **Sunny Wilkinson – Vocals**

[**Buy from here – New CD**](https://ellenrowe.bandcamp.com/album/vintons-cove)

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