A trio of albums reviewed by Ray Cummisky including one which received five stars.
MARTIN SPEAKE
Pumpkin
*****
Speake, an altoist at home playing free or delving into Ornette Coleman, brings to this album of ancient standards the balance of cerebral logic and lyrical warmth which has always given his work shape and emotional coherence. Moreover, with regular sidemen Barry Green (piano) and Jeff Williams (drums), plus Dave Green (bass), he has a collaboratively brilliant quartet of outstanding soloists.
The fluid interplay of mobile bass, responsive piano and pliant drums is ideal for so subtle, personal and cogent a soloist as Speake, whose cool, Konitz-like tone belies the engagement and passion of his playing.
Among the gems here are the alto and piano work on I'm a Fool to Want Youand I Wish I Knew, Speake's solo on In Love in Vain(artfully built around a shrug-like structural motif), and the individual and collective triumph of the venerable Jitterbug Waltz.
www.martin speake.co.uk
RAY COMISKEY
ALEC DANKWORTH
Spanish Accents
Basho
****
Iberian-flavoured jazz, folksong and classical music are attractively fleshed out by a group that includes Julian Argüelles (tenor/soprano), Phil Robson (guitars), Chris Garrick (violin) and the wonderful drumming of Marc Miralta. Bassist Alec Dankworth contributes two strikingly idiomatic originals (Palmas and El Levante) to a wide-ranging programme in which French bagpipes specialist Jean-Pierre Rasle is comfortably accommodated on a couple of folk songs (with lyrics sung by Emily Dankworth).
Materfamilias Cleo Laine provides the album footnote with her own Dreams of Castilla. Despite the hackneyed choice of Rodrigo's guitar Concierto in a repertoire that includes originals by Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Dizzy Gillespie and Jack DeJohnette, the band's considerable talents create something homogenous without losing its exotic accent.
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RAY COMISKEY
WAYNE ESCOFFERY
Hopes and Dreams
Savant
***
On a bright and, as intended, accessible and enjoyable album, Escoffery, a talented tenor, makes a point about playing creatively without dumbing down the music. The repertoire helps: originals by Escoffery, Tom Harrell and others, as well as two standards, are meaty enough for Escoffery and his colleagues to chew on. And the group - a basic quartet of Joe Locke (vibes/marimba), Hans Glawischnig (bass) and Lewis Nash (drums), with Johnathan Blake in for Nash on three tracks and Harrell guesting on three more - is high-calibre.
Inevitably, perhaps, nobody ventures beyond the pale, but this capable group gives a taste of what it can do with the gloves off on Coltrane's Chronic Blues, Mingus's somewhat ducal Noon Nightand a persuasively grooving title track. Elsewhere, well though the purpose is served, there's a sense of a band waiting to cut loose.
RAY COMISKEY
