Smith lll played a memorable gig at Sage Gateshead back in 2013. He impressed me then and has continued to do so over the course of several albums.
This latest recording, his first as a leader for Blue Note, is indicative of how far he has travelled with each recording. Ever moving forward, always ahead of the game, never finding himself in a blind alley, Smith incorporates a vision of the future without totally breaking from the traditions of the past.
Seesaw: The angular lines equate with the title. Moran, another reminder of a gig at Sage Gateshead where he paid tribute to Monk's New York Town Hall concert. Here, he is totally his own man laying it all on the line for Smith to take-off.
Gangsterism on Moranish: A strange title, indeed most of the titles are strange but, what's in a name? Both Smith and Moran are anything but strange in their playing. The more I listen, the more I become attuned to what's happening.
24: Opening up with just tenor and drums it's the calm before storm. All four shoot off in different directions although not totally out of sight. I think they eventually get back together though I'm not too sure. Who cares? It's great!
Misanthrope's Hymn: I wasn't sure what or who a misanthrope is. Seems that it's a person who dislikes mankind. Perhaps the hymn is a prayer for forgiveness? I don't know but, if it is it's working. There's an ugly beauty about it - to steal a quote from elsewhere (a song by Monk) - that I find compulsive.
Cézanne: Inspired by the French Post-impressionist painter it brings to mind the oft-posed question as to whether audio and visual artforms can be related. I don't know, I'd be interested to have opinions. Nevertheless, no matter if it's a 'yes' or a 'no' answer, this track would still be exciting even if it was called L'Escargot et Frites.
610 Loop: Referencing a freeway in Houston, Texas. As the album title implies, three of the four are from Houston but Reuben isn't which puts the bassist in his place (Virgin Islands).
Point of Many Returns: This one swings like the Blue Note of yore. Moran and Smith going down the Joe Henderson/Andrew Hill route. Tremendous.
Montrose Nocturne: Nothing to do with the late saxophonist Jack Montrose or even a town on the Scottish borders but, wait for it, a tea cup. There's definitely a storm brewing in this tea cup - no milk, no sugar, just four musicians bringing the water up and beyond boiling point.
Office Party Music: Smith blows soft and lyrical. It's romantic - perhaps everyone has left apart from two people who've discovered that for them, the party's just beginning ...
A Brief Madness: This one does what it says on the tin. It's brief, just under three minutes, and not without a degree of insanity as they go at it fast, furious and free.
Lone Star: A loping tribute to the state where three of them have their roots - the Lone Star State -.Texas. You can almost picture John Wayne or Gary Cooper facing up to the killer who's wearing a black stetson. There's a few bars of more violent music before it reverts back to the easy swagger. I guess black hat has been carted off to the Houston branch of Boot Hill.
Although there are eleven tracks the playing is just under 47 minutes meaning that there are few, if any, boring moments making it one of the most enjoyable albums in the contemporary vein that I've heard in many a long night at the turntable. Lance
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