David French (ten); Michael Davidson (vbs); Daniel Fortin (bs/comp); Fabio Ragnelli (dms).
(Review by Lance).
An interesting release by Toronto based bassist Fortin. This, his debut album, brings to mind the latter days of the Modern Jazz Quartet. It could well have been the path they followed had they still been around. Davidson's vibes certainly have an affinity with Milt Jackson both sound-wise and in his phraseology. The use of tenor could also be related to the group Stan Getz had with Gary Burton.
However, the overall mode and the compositions are in a more contemporary vein which is both the strength and weakness of the album. The strength lies in the many beautiful passages that are present in abundance. The weakness is that it's rather like opening a box of chocolates and finding they are all marzipan fillings. I found myself longing for just a little bit more straight ahead swing. Like MJQ, when Jackson was set free, so it is here with Davidson providing the sounds I want to hear although French's workout on Smithereen is also worth hearing.
Fortin is a composer of merit and an able plus bassist whilst Ragnelli does the business coping with the varying modes dealt up.
Apologies to all, but this didn't quite tick the boxes for a post-luddite like me. Nothing I could pinpoint, in fact, paradoxically, I enjoyed each and every track individually but, overall, I found the long haul had me wondering what's on TV and I rarely watch TV!
Lance
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