Search - Larry Willis :: Sanctuary

Unknown jazz genius records his finest disc to date

Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 09/05/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Larry Willis, piano sideman on more than 300 jazz sessions, Blood, Sweat & Tears keys man for seven years, Jackie McLean's pianist at the age of 19(!), and music director of that quirky jazz audiophile label, Mapleshade, for the past decade, has recorded a number of wonderful discs as leader including Heavy Blue and A Tribute to Someone. Six or seven years ago, I heard him tear it up live with that great post-bop unit, Jerry Gonzales's Fort Apache Band, a concert I'll never forget.With Sanctuary, he's released his finest effort. Among a handful of other recently issued gospel-tinged jazz releases, including Cyrus Chestnut's glorious You Are My Sunshine, Sanctuary stands not only head and shoulders above the crowd, but as a fitting summing up of a marvelously fruitful career.One thing that distinguishes this disc is that Willis comes by his gospel orientation perfectly naturally. There's not the slightest whiff of turf invasion or carpet bagging. Willis grew up in the Church, and he obviously still has a deep love for it and its music. That comes through crystal clear in his loving--albeit creatively reconfigured--versions of such gospel classics as "Balm in Gilead," featuring a stunning vocal by Artie Sherman, and "Were You There." These numbers, along with deeply felt Willis originals "The Magi," "Sanctuary," and "Fallen Hero," lift the listener to beyond the mundane into the precincts of felicity.Possessed with a prodigious technique, Willis also exhibits impeccable taste, especially with his exotic chord voicings and reharmonizations. For this outing, he has on board long-time collaborator and former Fort Apache bandmate Joe Ford on alto and soprano saxes, perhaps a perfect partner who always seems zeroed in on the leader's concept and sensibility; Ray Codrington, a name new to me, on trumpet; and the fluid rhythm section of Steve Novosel on bass and Steve Barrios on drums. Several numbers feature the Rick Schmidt Strings, which add an appropriate richness and grandeur to the proceedings.A note about the sound. Recorded in an all-analog, live to two track, there's a warmth and lavishness, yet without any sacrifice of clarity, that one seldom encounters in these days of digitized recordings.If you've never heard Larry Willis, this a wonderful place to start. If you know his work, you'll absolutely want to have this disc."