Search - Javon Jackson :: A Look Within

One of My Favorite Recordings of the '90's

Seamus Cathlong | NY USA | 12/07/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I think of this as one of the most perfect CDs in my collection. Mr. Jackson accomplished a rather impressive feat in this recording... he and his band put down nine tracks, each in a drastically different style-- and yet they all have the same spirit. The first track is a perfect opener... a strong, moving piece with all of the energy of the man it was dedicated to-- legendary drummer Elvin Jones. Peter Washington's driving bass line and Billy Drummond's firey intensity propel us through the whole piece. What guitarist Fareed Haque does on this tune with his guitar/sitar hybrid is truly stunning, and the ways he uses it to support Javon's solo are quite unique. Both his and Javon's solos are very powerful.The second track has all of the intensity of the first, but with a completely different mood. "Memoria e Fado" is one of Egberto Gismonti's most beautiful compositions, and this ensemble does it great justice. Javon casts a spell with his first three notes (which sound almost bass clarinet-like) which sets the dark tone for the entire piece. Fareed's classical chops really shine on this track. If space permitted I could write a love sonnet to every track on this CD. The Zappa tune has a very crisp, fresh, hip feel to it. Dr. Lonnie Smith takes one of his trademark unbelievably funky solos on that track, and it's greatly enhanced by Cyro Baptista's ecclectic accompaniment. Cassandra does her mesmerizing Mississippi blues thing on "Country Girl," backed by a very convincing Fareed Haque playing slide on what sounds like a dobro, but is really the guitar/sitar. (The sitar side of it give this a strange, floaty quality amid the down-to-earth delta blues.) There is a beautiful rendition here of Charles Mingus' seldom-played ballad "Duke Ellington's Sound of Love," and a playful adaptation of a Serge Gainsbourg tune. (Javon's ears are clearly open to any style, from any corner of the globe.) The closer is a lush, seductive version of "Recado Bossa Nova," driven by Cyro Baptista's pandeiro.You'll find something new every time you listen to this CD. All of the musicians on it are expressing themselves at the highest level, and doing so TOGETHER. This album is not about flash or chops, it's about beautiful music, and you hear that on every tune."