CD Review: Steve Fidyk - Battle Lines

Joe Magnarelli (trumpet); Xavier Perez (tenor sax); Peter Zak (piano); Michael Karn (bass); Steve Fidyk (drums/composer/arranger).

Bebop, hard bop and even harder bop summarises this cracking album  driven along by  the leader and composer of most of the tunes.

Philadelphia based Steve Fidyk played drums for 17 years with the Army Blues Big Band as well as performing with many jazz legends past and present, teaching drums and authoring many instructional manuals.

For this CD he composed 7 of the 11 of the tunes (Charlie Parker, Blue Mitchell, Eddie Harris and Dave Brubeck provided the other 4) and produced an album that in years to come may, given the exposure it deserves, come to be regarded as a classic example of bebop and beyond.

Combining with 4 of NYC's finest the end result is some of the best music since the heyday of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. The horn men produce a great sound together and solo with power or sensitivity as the occasion demands - as of course does the leader.

Pianist Zak is another find and bassist Karn rounds off this hard driving quintet. I say hard driving but there are also moments of beauty such as Magnarelli's trumpet on Lullaby For Lori and John and the relaxed mood of Social Loafing.

If you need proof of the pudding then listen here to the title track - Battle Lines.

Lance.

Available June 26 on Blue Canteen Records.

Ignominy; Battle Lines; Loopholes; Thank You; Bebop Operation; Bootlicker's Blues; Lullaby For Lori and John; Churn; Steeplechase; Social Loafing; Sir John.