Nick Grinder (trombone); Ethan Helm (saxophone); Juanma Trujillo (guitar); Walter Stinson (bass); Matt Honor (drums)
(Review by Russell)
Nick Grinder grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and began playing professionally whilst still at school. In pursuit of a master's degree the trombonist relocated to New York from where he has released his second album as a leader. The record label's name - Outside in Music - perhaps gives an indication of where Grinder's quintet is coming from/heading to.
The opening bars of New and Happy definitely has one foot in the Jimmy Giuffre-Paul Desmond school yet, as the music develops, the quintet steps outside, takes a look inside and comes up with its own credible, cohesive sound. Inaction is a commentary on one of America's most pressing issues and the politicians' inadequate response to it. Grinder's composition is a lament for Trayvon Martin. Deciduous spotlights Ethan Helm's agile alto saxophone work in an extended, improvisatory section picked up first by Grinder surrounded by guitarist Juanma Trujillo's haunting, off-shore soundings with bassist Walter Stinson and drummer Matt Honor contributing with the utmost sensitivity throughout.
The title track - Farallon - references a group of islands several miles out to sea from Grinder's childhood Californian home. Visible, yet tantalisingly out of reach, the Farallon Islands (home to bird colonies and a few biologists) have long held a fascination for the bandleader and the album's sixty two minutes playing time charts a carefree, free-as-a-bird state of mind lovingly crafting nine tracks in total, all written by Grinder except for the closing cut - Monk's Reflections. This Outside In Music release is a fine album offering something new on each hearing, a sure sign that Farallon is up there with the best new albums of 2019. Recommended.
Russell
Nick Grinder - Farallon is available from Outside in Music (OIM 1907).
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