This is a lovely album of solid blowing, pretty firmly in
the mainstream and all the stronger for it. Harbeck’s influences include many
of the old masters (Webster, Getz, Gordon) and he’s backed by a solid rhythm
section and it all makes for a hugely enjoyable forty or so minutes. Gunde’s
piano can be fluid and melancholy or Monk-ishly angular and he adds all sorts
of rills and thrills to his wide spectrum playing.
As a group they can romp effectively through the lively numbers and can slam on the brakes for something bluesier. Opener, Passing Clouds, is a dark lit/late night club of a tune and the third piece, Odd One Out is in a similar vein. Harbeck’s slides and elisions draw you into the emotions in these songs, and, by the end of the latter piece you can see, in your mind’s eye the desperation of our imaginary protagonist. It’s crying out for a good lyricist and a blues voice. Nørrelykke is solid at the back whilst Holm adds minimalist brush strokes.
Swinging blues Sparkle Sight kicks it all up a notch with a brooding, dark sax line, bending and twisting, prodded on by the piano which ‘sparkles’ gently before solidifying into an excursion anchored by left hand bombs underneath rapid runs. Then it’s all slow down again for the melancholy Airwaves and its blues lines over rolling mallets on the drums. It’s lovely, warm, human music, almost a second cousin to My Funny Valentine. The title of Interaction is a does what it says moment. A deep blues on the tenor, breathy like Webster, stately like Dexter, some heavy vamping from Gunde and a few background yelps for added motivation. It’s another late night piece but with added snap.
We close with Arena which
is Gunde’s chance to shine again as he channels his inner Ellington, even
nodding towards A Train at one point.
Harbeck’s tenor rolls out in waves, a lovely continuous, sinuous flow of blue
notes.
Harbeck’s Quartet have both boots planted in the music of the '50s and '60s and no horses were scared during the making of this album. He wears his inspirations proudly on his sleeve and there is no shame in this. He is a very fine player with a beautiful, rich sound. If you ever found yourself in a town where they were playing a beer and a couple of hours spent with this group would make for a very satisfactory evening. Dave Sayer
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