The Phoenix Network:
 
 
 
About  |  Advertise
Adult  |  Moonsigns  |  Band Guide  |  Blogs  |  In Pictures
 
50bands-gift-prov

MattWilson_Q_Leave_main

Whatever else is going on in jazz — fractured meters, indie-pop fusions — it's always good to hear a couple of horns burning through the changes over swing cymbals and a hard-walking bass groove. Reedmen Andrew D'Angelo and Jeff Lederer play the top half of that equation on drummer Wilson's latest while the leader and bassist Chris Lightcap cover the bottom end.

At times, this album exudes the glorious free bop that emerged from the '70s and '80s avant-garde. D'Angelo kicks off the album with an alto-sax annunciation that's as smooth and speedy as Charlie Parker, with Eric Dolphy's sharp angles. This is especially cheering because, only months before this September '08 recording session, D'Angelo had been treated for a malignant brain tumor. Here he's in full command.

Lederer's tenor tears varied phrases through the standard "Two Bass Hit," smooth runs shifting into testifying honks. And the free-squall monkey gets turned loose on Lightcap's Ornette-ish "Celibate Oriole." Not that there aren't moments of reflection, like the 12-tone chamber arrangement for clarinet and bass clarinet, "Lucky," the traditional hymn "Come and Find the Quiet Center," and the vocal-number finale, War's "Why Can't We Be Friends?" Why indeed.

  Topics: CD Reviews , Entertainment, Music, Pop and Rock Music,  More more >
  • Share:
  • Share this entry with Facebook
  • Share this entry with Digg
  • Share this entry with Delicious
  • RSS feed
  • Email this article to a friend
  • Print this article
Comments

Today's Event Picks
ARTICLES BY JON GARELICK
Share this entry with Delicious

 See all articles by: JON GARELICK

MOST POPULAR
RSS Feed of for the most popular articles
 Most Viewed   Most Emailed 



  |  Sign In  |  Register
 
thePhoenix.com:
Phoenix Media/Communications Group:
TODAY'S FEATURED ADVERTISERS
Copyright © 2009 The Phoenix Media/Communications Group