New Release-February 2007!

"IIt all comes together on Boneyard, from the high-octane opener, Kurt Weill's ”Speak Low,” through an energetic take on Dizzy Gillespie's “Con Alma,” into Dave Brubeck's “In Your Own Sweet Way,” with McNeely's cascading intro giving way to the sweet familiar melody, juiced up more than your normally hear it, insistently gregarious, the three musicians locked into a bouncy, lubricated cohesion.

The set is marvelously sequenced, with classic tunes and a couple of originals each from the pens of pianist McNeely and bassist Sill, full of seamless interplay that comes from years of playing together, and some gorgeous Sill bass solos in front of McNeely's sparkling comping, closing with the ever wistful classic “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning.”

- Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz  .....read more

"An excellent hour of mainstream modern jazz by the group that served with Red Rodney as the Midwest version of the late trumpet great's quintet, Chicagoans Spencer and Sill ably replacing the regular drummer and bassist when the band traveled to that part of the country. "-Jazz Times

"Post modern jazz that rests on the big shouldered bass of Sill, who co-leads(with drummer Spencer), writes, arranges, comps powerfully, and solos with assurance. Rising sax star Chris Potter makes a major contributions, but it is the cohesiveness of the rhythm sections that sets this one apart."-Bass Player Magazine

"Bassist Kelly Sill and drummer Joel Spencer have worked together for over 10 years in the Chicago Jazz scene and have resultantly formed an innate rhythmic chemistry. The Brighter Side is their debut release and teams them up with saxophonist Chris Potter and pianist Garry Dial in a rock-solid contemporary jazz setting. Sill and Spencer first hooked up with Potter and Dial during a stint backing up the later trumpeter Red Rodney. Although bassist Sill is co-leader/producer on this project , his contribution is primarily as a strong supporter of the crisp and fiery color of the compositions, including two of his own, the ballad Naomi, and the angular Ironic Line, both of which feature bass solos. Overall, a fine outing that will no doubt pave the way for many future offerings from this hard-swinging quartet."-Bassics