Search - Joshua Redman :: Elastic

Look behind the funk!

A.J.H. Woodcount | 10/25/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Because I couldn't decide about giving this album 4 or 5 stars I listened to it very closely. With an album that's pretty funky that's not something I do very often. That kind of music must get to you, without paying too much attention.

Elastic proved that attitude to be wrong. This jazz/funk/fusion-album yields it's hidden secrets when you really start to listen.

Two important reasons for the five stars I decided to give:



1. There's a combination of some of the worlds finest musicians in jazz on this album: Redman, Yahel and Brian Blade (I know there are some other descent musicians on the face of the earth, but they just don't play on this album...). They play together very well, great breaks and accents, shared solo's, drumsolo's in the break etc. For those who miss the bassplayer easily when he's not around: the organ takes over the bassplaying, sometimes sounding like Marcus Miller or T.O.P.

Joshua Redman's playing has two sides: he can be fast and his virtuosity is great but his personal style is a bit slow (by a guitarist that's called a slowhand?). Sometimes that keeps the swing/funk from getting loose. Good or bad? Decide for yourself.

Sam Yahel plays piano, Hammond, Fender Rhodes etc. on this album. He really isn't a dull player, wich sometimes happens when there is an organ involved. Where he starts playing, solo or background, there's something good going on. He uses a lot of different sounds.

Brian Blade is maybe the best drummer I've seen play live. He can do almost everything with his drums and he can really fill every space the rythm of a tune gives him. What he does here is a bit different: he's not so very prominently prescent. I believe that's an important quality for a drummer, Blade has shown before with his own Fellowship, where he leaves a lot of space for composition and other players.



2. The composition of the songs on the album and the way they build up is very good. The only song that's not really working for me is the first one. It's a typical fusion-thang with a big slow theme that get's repeated over and over. The second song (Jazz Crimes) is a six star tune tough. It starts of with a fast and freaky riddle being in contrast with the second, sentimental, part of the theme. After Yahel's solo runs smoothly over into the theme again, Blade and Redman go for it! At the end of the tune the organ has slowly filled up all the space around Redman's saxophone. But where not there yet. Between fast breaks there's some space for a short drum-thing and than the theme starts over again. It get's a little freaky and...it stops.

The third song is a ballad that evolves into something different than a ballad. The organ's from outher space here and Redman does some good things on his saxophone. At the end there's not so much left of the ballad.

Omou is song number four and it's an intelligent little thing that start of with sax and organ but suddenly Blade rolls a very nice beat under it. I don't know why, but this tune fascinates me. Maybe because at the end of the short tune it let's itself roll away slowly to dissapear into nothing.

Still Pushin' That Rock has a lot to offer, but what I really like is that after a few minutes the song collapses. In a lot of songs that's not good. Here it's done very good. There's less going on for a little while, but it sounds like there's still something building up.

Can A Good Thing Last Forever starts of with a poppy-piano. Once again there's a big theme and it builds up to climax, but the song is a little boring, but very usefull as a last song for the break for popbands wanting to steal the show with an instrumental.

In the seventh song (Boogielastic) to the duel or team-work (I cannot decide) between the sax and the organ. There's some great breaks in this song.

Unknowing has something special. Maybe the way the drums are recorded and definitly because of the sudden ending.

Number nine hits the T.O.P.-bass. The way it get's silent after the 'storm' is done very good!

The ballad Letting Go builds up very very very subtlely and slowly builds up and stops exactly at the climax.

At the end of the album there's a little freeness running into somewhat of a popsong that nicely ripples away.



Well, in conclusion: I would agree with a more critical review maybe. I know that sometimes there's too much theme and repeating without adding something and there are never real strange things happening but for a slowfunk/jazz-album there's so much going on here that it just wouldn't be fair to give less than 5 stars.



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