FOURWARD MOTION THE JOHN PARIS~STEVE THOMAS QUARTET "One of the pleasures of hearing this new quartet is that the music defies categories" Mark Colby~Chicago Sax man Fourward Motion is the sound of the new century. The new generation of jazz cats pull from multiple forms of sonic expression. With the guitar sounds of John Paris and the trumpet tones of Steve Thomas, we feel the hands of time changing. John Paris has been burning up the Chicago scene for several years. His guitar sound is clean-open but robust. Steve Thomas has the amazing ability to press the wall of sonics with intensity, yet also boast a tender ballad effect that can be soft or bold. 10 of the 11 compositions on this CD are originals by Paris and Thomas. There is a clarity in compositional form that shows traces of Miles, Lennie Tristano and Clifford Brown. Modern blues and latin forms mingle. Track 2, "Sorrow’s Dance" has a bit of a medieval flavor, and a lush melodic center. Chicago veterans Tim Fox on bass, and Greg Fundus on drums round out this new unit. The band that plays… stays. Southport Records was founded in 1977 by musicians to produce, record and distribute the music from Chicago to the world.