Word: soundly
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...ensemble within an ensemble, performing an original composition, “New York Attitude,” with Kitagawa and Blake. It was pure, muscular, sparkling, straight-ahead jazz—Blake shone throughout the night, but here he produced an especially lively, just ahead-of-the-beat, sound interspersed with snapping rolls and cymbal brushes that propelled the frenetic tune along. Kitagawa, with his calm demeanor and walrus mustache, evoked a Mingus-like sprightliness in his bass playing, switching between slow and fast in a messed-up blues solo. Barron himself remained a steadfast leader throughout, grounding the trio...
...wasn’t until his solo piece that Malone fully showed what he was capable of, performing an Alex North tune that perfectly showcased his limpid sound reminiscent of Grant Green, coupled with evocative acoustic guitar skills. Throughout the evening, he steeped the ensemble in 1960s soul jazz chords, but here his gentle, rippling notes hit a new mode. He played with a precise poignancy, spinning out an all-encompassing sound that mesmerized by itself, but otherwise delicately underscored the ensemble’s playing. However, he never completely came into his own on other pieces, oscillating otherwise between...
...transcribed musical improvisations, and he did not disappoint with a version of Robert Pinsky’s “The Broken City” set to Wayne Shorter’s haunting “They Speak No Evil.” His voice, a piercing jet of sound, flew over the jagged melodics, weaving them into a blindingly rapid melody, as Malone and Barron easily grounded him in a modal swing. On the other hand, his rendition of the 13th century mystical poet Rumi’s “I Like The Sunrise...
...musical variety is the greatest strength of “Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You.” No two tracks sound even vaguely similar and this serves to liven up a lyrically simple album. When this music isn’t enough to carry the song, though, the lyrics are too thin to pick up the burden, and the track quickly falls flat. Most choruses are excessively simple—eight or nine word phrases that are repeated over and over again for the length of time necessary between equally short verses...
Despite its length, its poetic turns and its monumental status, “The Odyssey” follows a simple premise: man departs, man gets lost, man arrives safe and sound at destination...