Search - Cuong Vu :: Pure

If trumpeter Cuong Vu's OmniTone release, Bound, represents his hyped-up, speedy freebop side, then Pure cuts to an altogether different quick. This trio session blurs angularity for a washing, ambient feel that prevails throughout the six long tracks. As with any high-quality ambient excursion, Pure has varied dynamics, with Vu's trumpet sounding Bill Dixon's textural free play and also sounding at times like the sound is pulled through the horn in reverse. Bassist Stomu Takeishi and drummer John Hollenbeck's clipped, jumpy rhythms on the moderately quick "Pitter-Patter" give a funky backbone to Vu as he meditates wonderfully on midrange extended phrases. That mixture of extended phrases and an artfully unbridled approach to his trumpet's tonal structures make Pure, like Vu's Bound, a viscerally exciting project that creates mind-blowing atmospheres. --Andrew Bartlett