Jazz drummer and producer Ferit Odman has put together a uniquely inspired project with his 2015 album, Dameronia With Strings. The “Dameronia” in the title refers to the late jazz composer and arranger, Tadd Dameron. In the liner notes for this album, it’s noted that Dameron may not be very well known today despite his contributions to the jazz genre. This release is a strong testament to the composer’s skills as Odman and his band do a tremendous job of bringing these pieces of music to life. If you like jazz, you’ll love this album, and if you weren’t familiar with Tadd Dameron before this record, you’ll admire him thanks to it.Odman’s band is primarily a four piece outfit, with him on drums, Terell Stafford on trumpet, pianist Danny Grissett, and bassist Peter Washington. As you may have expected however from the title of the album, there are strings involved in the arrangements as well. Odman accentuates the group with a string sextet made up of violins, cellos, and a viola. The sextet is employed in various ways, sometimes just contributing to the atmosphere, other times they’re more actively involved in the melody, and occasionally there will be room for a single string instrument to come to the forefront.The album opens with “On a Misty Night.” As the title would suggest, the sound of the track is soft and atmospheric. Odman’s drumming is brisk with a lot of quick fills, but is actually fairly quiet for how rapid it is. The melody is carried by the trumpet but the upright bass playing is vital to moving the song forward. Grissett’s piano is incredibly strong, something that becomes quite clear when it’s given an extended chance to shine in the limelight. As for the strings, this is one of the cases where they lend themselves to the atmosphere. The piece would be incredible without them, but their addition adds an astounding amount of mood to it.“If You Could See Me Now” follows this with Odman continuing his soft drum technique; notice the gentle snare work. Washington’s bass is a standout in this environment, stepping up for a solo that is almost as emotionally moving as the strings are. One of the ways this is accentuated is by the piano becoming sparser in the mix while the bass comes up front. The trumpet playing of Stafford is captivating and evocative.The following piece, “Just Plain Talkin’” features one of the moments where the strings not only become more prominent in the music, but also take a turn at briefly soloing. The overall sound is livelier here, featuring a lot of great interplay between the drums, piano, and bass. We also get to hear Odman perform a bit of a solo, but that’s just a teaser for what’s to come later on the album. “Look, Stop & Listen” is a phenomenal number and an incredible testament to Odman’s skill as a drummer. The entire song is centered on the drums as it carries the listener through different soundscapes. There will be an extended drum part, then the piano will come in, Odman will take command again, transition to another melody, and continue to push the listener along. It’s amazingly captivating for all six plus minutes of it.The string sextet comes into its own on a couple of the later tracks, “You’re a Joy,” and “Our Delight.” The former is another soft piece with the subdued trumpet allowing the strings to be a larger presence in the song. Even after they wind down to give way to the bass and piano, they come back in for the end of the track to combine with the quartet in serene fashion. The latter cut has the sextet playing in a pluckier manner and steering the song’s opening. It later undergoes a tempo shift and features another riveting piano part from Grissett.The remaining songs are no less noteworthy, as “Smooth As The Wind” has a beautifully gentle fanfare while “Soultrane” is one of the more gorgeous pieces on the record. There’s really no shortage of excellence anywhere here, with each number being just as good as the others in their own way. Much of the credit for this goes to Ferit Odman, his quartet, and the string sextet, but then again, part of the reason for the project was to demonstrate how talented a composer Tadd Dameron was. Bearing this in mind, credit too should be given to the late composer for making such timeless music. Dameronia With Strings is a jazz masterwork that all the musicians involved in its making should be proud of; not only for their performances but for how wonderful a tribute it is to Tadd Dameron.Artist: Ferit OdmanAlbum: Dameronia With StringsReview by: Heath AndrewsRating 5: Stars (out of 5)