A very pleasant surprise
Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 04/27/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I picked this up because I know John Patitucci and Ben Monder to be two of the finest young jazz practitioners of their instruments, bass and guitar respectively. I've not encountered either Andy Parsons (sax) or Gene Lewin (drums) before, but they turn out to be excellent players. The are, apparently, the co-leaders of a group called Fundementia, who have released two previous discs (Fundementia and A Whole Nother Story), both unheard by me.Unlike much of contemporary mainstream jazz, brilliant soloing (although there's plenty of that) isn't what this disc's all about. Instead, its about interaction, conversation, listening--what the best jazz has always been about. And let me tell you these guys are not only engaged in a high-powered musical conversation, they're all listening very carefully to each other. The results are entirely satisfying. And the compositions, all by And Parsons, excepting the old chestnut, "East of the Sun," display both attractive melodies and sophisticated rhythms, as well as providing a solid base for improvisation. My favorite is "Year Out," a samba-like Latinate piece that just bubbles and grooves its way through seven-plus minutes, highlighted by a very engaging solo by Ben Monder and some wonderful sax-guitar doubling passages, with Patitucci and Lewin providing tasty yet challenging rhythmic underpinning. And who could fail to like "Tookish," with is slightly skewered melody, its tricky rhythms, and imaginative faux guitar-sax doubling (where Monder doesn't strictly duplicate the sax lead but throws in chords and harmonic passages)--all inspired by that mischievous hobbit, Peregrine Took? Their treatment of "East of the Sun" also deserves special merit. A very sophisticated Latin treatment--unexpected, but sounding perfectly natural--turns what could've been an exercise in nostalgia into something full of surprises, highlighted by John Patitucci's glorious solo. Special note should also be made of "Stingo," the closer and longest number at just over 8 1/2 minutes, which once again effectively features doubling and faux-doubling of sax and guitar. Another Latinate-type beat--I'm not complaining--(only slowed down to about half-time) gives the music a kind of exotic feel.Really, I'm pretty blown away by these guys. Seldom do you get such jazz sophistication so lightly worn wrapped around such listenable, even catchy, melodies and such rhythmic cleverness. By all means, worth checking out and plunking down twenty or so bucks."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1