All reviews from user Victor Popov
Continuing to Mesmerize
Last year this trio debuted with the album "Mesmerism" which I enjoyed but found a bit abstracted like much of Sorey's work. "Continuing" is a much more accessible listening experience. Each of the tracks features crystal-clear textures and a very palpable swing beat. The players play off the pulse to create dazzling but subtle (is that self-contradictory?) cross-rhythms, yet that steady pulse and simple repeated melodic/harmonic structures keep the listener from getting ... lost. "Angel Eyes" by Matt Dennis is performed at the slowest tempo I have ever heard (slow tempos are the hardest to sustain). Flashy technique is brushed aside in favour of simplicity and clarity in melody and harmony and elasticity in playing with the underlying beat. Cognac for listeners with big ears!
Chris Potter Chasin' the Trane
Chris Potter is one of the most prolific and impressive saxophonist playing today. This CD recorded at the Village Vanguard with a standout quartet including Craig Taborn(piano), Scott Colley (bass) and Marcus Gilmore(drums) really takes off. Potter's stylistic versatility is legendary but here he really turns on the intensity reminding the listener of the searching intensity of no less than John Coltrane himself. Great album!