In the tradition
eliot gardenstreet | Phoenix, AZ | 11/13/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I like hearing the history of an instrument in jazz musician's playing. In Seamus Blake I hear Michael Brecker and Joshua Redman, and so, more distantly, John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins. In Lage Lund I hear Pat Metheny, and so, more distantly, Jim Hall and Kenny Burrell. In fact I got this album to listen to Lage Lund, who is one of my favorite young guitar players. One reason I like his playing so much is that he has a great clear tone, without distortion and other electronic effects, just a little reverb, so you can hear his fingers against the fretboard, which connects him to the great guitar players of the 60s. Lage also has plenty of good, fresh ideas. This album reminds me in places of Michael Brecker's Pilgrimage, but Seamus's playing is much more relaxed that Brecker's, and, although this album is mostly Blake originals and sounds like something out of Brooklyn in the late 2000s, it has a nice lighthearted quality. It takes me back to my favorite period of straight ahead jazz, from the late 50s to the early 70s, when cutting edge jazz was challenging, but also fun."
Seamus Delivers Another!
Anthony R. Guarriello | Rutherfordton NC | 11/08/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Here on saxophonist Seamus Blake's newest offering for the Criss Cross jazz label he & his stellar band deliver the modern jazz goods. I was really puzzled that nobody had reviewed this great album already so I decided to remedy that. First off the group Seamus has assembled for this record are some of the finest players working in jazz today. On piano is David Kikoski the elder here, his grooving piano has graced Seamus's last two albums as a leader Way Out Willy & the awesome Live in Italy. (see my review) his playing is not to be missed he's got the whole package technique, soul & can put up the funk. Lage Lund on guitar has been on most of Seamus's albums & is a fantastic young player, coming more from a Peter Bernstein school of clean tone & technique, he & Seamus sound great together in tandem on the heads seamlessly blending in with the sax, sheer beauty! Bill Stewart on the drum kit propels the group with dare I say perfect seamless groove, digging in & swinging hard on the up tempo numbers & allowing the music to ebb & flow on the ballads. The only new name as far as I know to Seamus's fold is bassist Matt Clohesy a native of Australia, who in the liner notes Seamus praises for excellent sound quality & ability to play in any style. Well there you have the band a killer ensemble if I most say, well onto the music. Bellwether consists of originals & a few covers. Mood & tempo wise the album is mostly up in tempo & more serious in mood, all the up tunes swing hard & have nice bebop style melodies usually played by sax & guitar together, the sound & shapes of these melodies brings to mind Josuha Redman's Freedom in The Groove album with Peter Bernstein, possibly a influence? I think so. The album opens with John Scofield's funky tune Dance me Home which Seamus treats with a postbop swing & some interesting modulations. Next up is A Beleza Que Vem a lovely laid back Ivan Lins; style tune with seamus on soprano sax. Subterfuge is one of my favorites it swings along hard in four but has the illusion of being in a odd meter. The Song that Lives Inside is a starkly beautiful piece with Lund on acoustic guitar & Blake on tenor written about Charles & Sue Mingus. Bellwether & Minor Celebrity are both swinging odd meter tunes the latter in five & Minor Celebrity in a brisk seven, both of these tunes have great solos by guitar & saxophone. The album closes out on a gentler note with Blake's reworking of the third movement from Debussy's String Quartet in G minor, Opus 10. They make it more jazzified by creating a solo section out of some of the piece's chords & then looping that section, I think this tune comes off nicely there's also a killer version on Seamus Blake Live in Italy. Well folks there you have it. I'll close saying that this album is highly accessible & the melodies are memorable & the band is killer! Check it out."
Track Listings (7) - Disc #1