Search - Marcus Strickland :: Twi-Life

Twi-Life

Ogungbemi | Florida, USA | 05/15/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I really like both of the cds. Both of the bands are tight and Marcus grooves in both arrangements.



Disc #1 is definitely more contemplative, while disc #2 is more grooving. I'm partial to Disc #2 at present. Highly Recommended and worth the money."

Strickland & Glasper together again on Disc 1

Ben Nevis | 12/05/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first disc in this 2-CD set brings together Marcus Strickland (sax) and Robert Glasper (piano) for the fourth time, and just to hear these two working off one another is worth the price of the CD all by itself. The music gets inside your blood, and stays there, so that I hear it even when I don't have my ipod on. If there is one (small) reservation I have about Disc 1, it's that sometimes Glasper's solos paint him into a corner, the music stalls, and the inventiveness suffers, if only for a few moments at a time. Also, the quartet here (with Vicente Archer on bass, and E.J. Strickland, Marcus's twin brother, on drums) is just a bit less tight and inventive than on previous CDs.



By contrast, on two previous CDs--"At Last," Strickland's first as leader, and "Brotherhood," his second--virtually the same quartet (with Brandon Owens on bass, instead of Archer) is just so brilliantly together, so effortlessly tight, the playing so powerful, so moving, so beautiful, it reminds me of a contemporary version of the Classic Quartet, with Glasper and Strickland almost as amazing in their inventiveness, their interplay and their solos as Tyner and Trane.



The third CD that brings together MS and RG (but in a very minimal way) is Robert Glasper's first as leader, "Mood," and while the playing is quite beautiful, I find it less satisfying than either "At Last," or "Brotherhood," or even the first disc of "Twi-Life." For one thing, there's just not enough Strickland on "Mood" (he appears on just one cut). For another, Glasper's solos sometimes go off the rails, in a way I find less compelling or interesting than his work on the three Strickland CDs.



There's one other Marcus Strickland CD I'd highly recommend: "Idiosyncrasies," his most recent as of this writing; it's all trio work, and it's one of his best. This artist is so young, and his career so new, that it may be difficult to say right now which CDs are the most significant in his body of work, but at this point I'd have to say that "At Last," "Brotherhood," and "Idiosyncrasies" are all essential Strickland. And one could make the same case for Disc 1 of "Twi-Life."



As for Disc 2 of "Twi-Life," while there is some brilliant playing here (from Strickland on sax and reeds, Lage Lund on guitar, Brad Jones on electric bass, and E.J. on drums), I just don't find it as compelling as the Strickland/Glasper work. The structure of each piece is just a bit more lax (or free), and doesn't quite hold together for me in the same way. Others may find this second disc more satisfying, and one could argue that they would have good reason for this, as the quality of the playing is quite impressive. But it just doesn't move me in the way that the Strickland/Glasper work does. Despite these reservations, though, I still find myself coming back to Disc 2--Marcus Strickland's remarkable abilities both as composer and musician are just too much to resist.



One more thing: unfortunately, Strickland's first two CDs as leader--"At Last" and "Brotherhood"--are difficult to find (they were produced by a Spanish label, Fresh Sound, which apparently hasn't done very much to make them available in the U.S., which is a terrible shame). So for those who can't locate either of these two early CDs, the first disc of "Twi-Life" becomes all the more essential.

"

Twi-Life: Beautiful & Complex but highly accessable

Anthony R. Guarriello | Rutherfordton NC | 10/18/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Marcus Strickland is a relatively new player on the scene making his first record Brotherhood in 2002, but in my opinion he is a saxophonist & jazz composer of the highest ability. Twi-Life his third album represents a dual facet of Strickland's composing. It's a double disc set, the first cd is a acoustic jazz quartet with Robert Glasper on piano, Ej Strickland on drums Marcus Strickland on tenor & soprano saxes & Vicente Archer on bass. The second disc is more of a modern groove influenced jazz with Lage Lund on guitar, Brad Jones on electric bass, Ej Strickland on drums. Both discs are great in my opinion. Marcus's writing style is very recognizable & very much his own. The music is hard to describe it definitely has ties to bop and the jazz of the 60's like Wayne Shorter's Blue Note albums. Marcus Strickland's tenor playing is fabulous with shades of John Coltrane, Sam Rivers, Hank Moebly, Lester Young & Sonny Rollins use of thematic improvisations. His melodies are memorable and his harmonic sequences hold surprise. The second cd is a highly original blend of jazz improv, funky electric bass grooves and in my opinion awesome drumming by twin brother EJ Strickland. Also disc 2 has Lage Lund fantastic guitar playing weaving a web of melodic lines with Marcus's tenor. I highly recommend this album along with any of Marcus Strickland's other albums which all hold delight for the listener. I will also add that a large part of the new generation of jazz players are represented here on this album & should all be watched in the future."