Search - John Patitucci :: Communion

A Major Advance for Stellar Bassist

Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 09/25/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Everything seems to have come together for Patitucci on Communion--he's assembled some of the finest jazz musicians on the scene today and they all play marvelously, he's written some beautiful songs across a wide musical spectrum, he employs a tasty palatte of textures and colorations, and there's a joi de vivre about the playing.Always having something interesting to say as a musician, but hampered by weak spots or not quite the right presentation in his previous recordings, Patitucci has put that all behind and come up with a stunning record. Alternating between acoustic, electric, and piccolo bass, Patitucci proves himself the master of each, precisely evoking the exact right sensibiblity from each instrument.It strikes me that this record could appeal to a wide specrtum of jazz fans. It's accessible enough for the smooth crowd and rigorous enough for the hardcore acoustic believers. No matter what camp you find yourself in, it's worth checking out."

"a musicians musician...his jazz flows like a summer rain"

J. Lovins | Missouri-USA | 09/01/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Spin this CD...sit back...and listen! This has to be the ultimate in this mans career...Latin, Brazilian, classical shades and wonderful, just wonderful JAZZ!Besides the talent of John...he has gathered a multitude of talent to share in this experience...names like ~ Joe Lovano (tenor sax), Branford Marsalis (soprano sax), Chris Potter (soprano/tenor sax), Tim Ries (flute/clarinet), Brian Blade (drums), Horace "El Negro" Hernandez (drums), Marc Quinones (congas/percussion), Brad Mehldau (piano), Ed Simon (piano)...the list goes on. As a regular with Chick Corea's Elektric & Akoustic bands, his talent as a bassist came shining through...remember his previous outings with ~ "Heart of the Bass" (1991), "Now" (1998) and "Imprint" (2000)...believe the Concord Record label is doing his work justice.Several highlights ~ "BARILOCHE", just grabs you..."CALABRIA", Joe Lovano's tenor sax on this piece is simply intoxicating, Patitucci and Ed Simon (piano) sew up the gigs final touches, as well as Brian Blade on drums..."ISABELLA", rhythmic sounds abounding, quite exciting in content and has that certain difference you're immediately drawn into..."COMMUNION", is the masterpiece, theme flows like a John Barry film score from "Chinatown", Branford Marsalis (soprano sax) backed by a string quartet, has all the ingredients to be a "classic"...imagine John will be requested to do this piece at anyone of his concert tours...a note to Concord, would like to see another like this one...very soon! You might try other John Patitucci releases, all worthy of a good listen ~ "Heart of the Bass" (SCD-9001-2)..."One More Angel" (CCD-4753-2)..."Imprint" (CCD-4881-2)..."Now" (CCD-4806-2)..."The Hudson Project" (SCD-9024-2)...check out my reviews on amazon.com/music. Total Time: 54:35 on 10 Tracks ~ Concord Records CCD 4970-2 ~ (2001)"

Yes, it's that good

Fred McGhee | Austin, TX | 09/05/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A previous reviewer titled his review as a "major advance" for John Patitucci, and I would have to agree. This is a stellar collaboration that is a composing, production, and performance highlight. The title song's grammy nomination was very well deserved, and the other material is a diverse (ahem..."eklektik"..) and challenging, but well within the latin influenced tradition John has established over the years.



The performances are stellar. Branford Marsalis's trademark saxophone playing works well with these compositions, and Branford has an instinctual feel for this material. John's soloing is, as usual, very tasteful and learningly subdued. I also think the percussionists on these sessions did a terrific job, and the piano playing..well, it's terrific.



Ahhh...Professor Patitucci does it again!"