Drummer Eric Starr leads this impressive group, and you can tell so right off. The first tune opens up with a muscular drum intro, and he also gives himself a spotlight for a couple minutes on another track. He doesn’t over-indulge, however, and in fact shows formidable taste and class throughout this multi-dimensional release along with brother Nelson Starr/voc-g-p, Iain Ballamy/ts, Ike Sturm/b and ETHEL/strings.
The mix of electric guitar and Ballamy’s warm tenor is a great feature here, particularly on the intricate yet swinging “”Can Spring Be Far Behind” while Bellamy on his own drives it home on along with Sturm’s dancing bass line on ”Quietude.” Making this band unique is the addition of Nelson stars vocals, using a semi-Buble’ sound on lyrics during the addictive lick on the samba “The Conjurer” or wordless sounds on the dancing and Metheny-es que “In the Spirit” and “Dream Me Part II.” Panoramic, dramatic and exciting, these tunes highlight an exciting direction for the band, and for jazz in general. Can’t wait to see them in concert!
Bronx Bound Records