A belter! Those were words that sprung to mind when Willie Jones III kicked off the opening track (Oak Cliff) followed by a 'no prisoners taken' solo by Loftis, with Chin and Wheeler digging in. This was comparable with anything from the Blue Note label back in the day.
Premonition, composed by Michael Stanton, has an effective bass intro, Loftis wails over a compelling piano riff before Chin moves to centre stage driven on by Willie J 3 - a brief quote from Work Song brings Wheeler back and Loftus takes it out.
Fall's Beauty is, like the first number and the next five, a Loftis original. Normally I cringe when I hear/see the word "original" - not so here. A meditative, exploratory piece that shows off Loftis' rich tone with just enough vibrato to enhance the sound. Rather like a woman applying lipstick but not overdoing it.
Brigitte's Smile is dedicated to neither a former French screen idol nor to a woman who lives in the next street to me but to his wife. Mrs Loftis must have one helluva smile to inspire such a swinger of a tune.
The Intangible, another great blowing tune brings to mind the great Dexter Gordon although Loftis doesn't fall back on quite so many quotes as Dex was prone to do.
Smoke & Mirrors, another good blower. When you've been listening to jazz for as long as I have, you tend to become a little blasé and adopt an I've heard it all before attitude and then something like this comes along and it's as if you're 15 and hearing it for the first time.
WiFi Addiction, a solid 12 bar. This music recreates a time when the title track would have been a reference to a husband's attraction to his spouse.
For the Love of You, a Joe Tex, Isley Brothers' number, sees Loftis switch to soprano with a killer solo from Chin and an equally homicidal solo from the leader before Wheeler sedates matters with a mega melodic solo.
A Weaver of Dreams. Beautiful. Ballad playing at its best - cooler than cool. A fitting end to a tremendous hard bop plus album.
Of course there's more to it than just the leader. Chin and Wheeler are of like standing whilst Willie Jones the Third is equally as good as when I heard him with Cedar Walton at Ronnie's some ten or so years ago.
This is Loftis' first album in over a decade - oh what I have missed!
Now, belatedly, I find out that I actually heard Keith with Abdullah Ibrahim at Sage Gateshead in 2010 although, reading my review, I don't think the horns were heavily featured.
Also, I note that he played in a band with Jean Toussaint at Bishop Auckland in a tribute concert to the late trumpet player Abram Wilson who died so tragically young. Look at the line-up: Jason Marsalis (drums); Keith Loftis, Peter King, Jean Toussaint (saxes); Trevor Mires (trombone); Mark Lewandowski (bass) and rising star New York trumpeter, Alphonso Horne. How did I miss that one? Bishop Auckland's a mere 30 miles or so away! I bet Tony Eales was there! Lance
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