Dan
Blake (tenor, soprano sax); Carmen Staaf (piano, Fender Rhodes); Leo
Genovese (piano/synthesizers); Dmitry Ishenko (acoustic and electric bass);
Jeff Williams (drums).
An intense evocation of the world’s suffering and crises... no easy listening dinner time jazz here! (Thanks Lance). The NYC based Blake’s latest project proclaims its objectives in the blurb to be drawing attention to climate change, poverty and a whole panoply of the world’s ills.
The all-round virtuoso playing retains some conventional
jazz roots, and is mostly
bounced along by the veteran NYC
and London-based Jeff Williams’ varied swing. Staaf
Blake uses soprano to lay out the nearest to a melody you’re going
to get, doubled and traded with piano on Cry
of the East. He
steps on the gas for Like Fish in Puddles recalling late
Coltrane with runs and squalls. Pain does
what it says on the tin, with swirling layered synths,
followed by some fine, muscular and angular tenor in tandem with Staaf on The
Grifter. Multi-tracked saxes
take The Cliff into
a more avant garde Monk-ish mood
The title track puts the bass up front with noodling electronica
making for a moody and unsettled interlude,
before the ruminative, calmer Epilogue:
It Heals Itself closes the album with some
sounds of hope...
Altogether quite a ride, maybe not all in one go for the
faint-hearted, but plenty here to enjoy and explore.
Chris K
Released: 2021 | Record Label: Sunnyside Records.
Livestream release March 26 – details here
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Quick! Log on to Ronnie Scott's website. This evening's live stream starting at 8:00pm presents Xhosa Cole playing Larry Young's Unity album. Drummer Jeff Williams is on the gig.
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