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Wonder Is the Beginning
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Wonder Is the Beginning
Current price: $35.99
Barnes and Noble
Wonder Is the Beginning
Current price: $35.99
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don't receive the same level of intense media hype as their peers on England's jazz scene. Perhaps it's because they're an acoustic quartet, or that they've been releasing records since 2007 (
and
played on their eponymous debut), or that they don't fit the fusion or nu-jazz profiles, either.
are a post-bop powerhouse playing high impact, progressive jazz that often crosses the avant-garde border, in original, straight-ahead jazz.
is the quartet's debut on
's
after five previous long players -- the latest in 2016 -- and a pair of later, self-released EPs.
The
quartet --
on alto saxophone;
on vibraphone;
on double bass, and
on drums -- are joined by veteran pianist
(
,
) on all but one cut, and rising British tenor saxophone star
on three tracks.
"The Naitoku," one of five tunes by
, opens the set and features
and both saxophonists. The title refers to a beginning student's practice of Buddhism and those who support them (sanga). Vibes, droning bass, and rumbling tom-toms introduce the tune.
joins with rubato dark chords, before drums and saxophones articulate the theme; first tenor, then alto.
's vibes paint the backdrop, giving
more room to bridge the saxophonists' solos. With its shifting tempos and modes, the tune is a labyrinth with a circular rhythmic signature and perfect at just under eight minutes. The ballad "True Cost" offers the sextet delivering a gorgeous ballad.
uses pedals on his vibes, creating a flowing sense of reverb in his interplay with
, and
. After a gauzy intro,
leads the pianist into a bluesy exchange with
's tenor. "She Moves," composed by
, commences as a ballad before swinging out in midtempo with the post-bop blues. "Saha World" walks the tightrope between abstraction, vanguard balladry, and harmonic invention with killer work from
; their conversation is subtle yet captivating and rangey. "As the Eagle Flies" is a vanguard exercise in modalism with carefully constructed cadences and accents.
stagger crescendos and accents in pursuing the elusive melody. Closer "Wonder Is the Feeling" is delivered in stretched-out waltz time. It balances contrasting harmonies from the pianist, vibraphonist, and altoist. They continually return to the assonant swinging chorus anchored by
.
's solo is knotty, lyrical, and nearly transcendent, while
's blocky expressionist chords, fills, and intervallic vamps provide the formidable rhythm section a foil.
It would have been great to get a longer album after eight years, but one can't complain about the depth and vision of the music on
. Given its intense focus, ambition, and elegant taste, the album's reception should translate into global awareness for
and their poignant, resonant, always innovative, progressive post-bop. ~ Thom Jurek