While only twenty one, identical twins Alan/b and Carl/dr show a maturity that is quite impressive on this debut album. Born in Japan and currently living in Memphis, the boys were taken under the wing of Kirk Whalum, and the mature education shows, as the rest of the band, Bill Mobleyu/tp-fh, Gregory tardy/ts-ss, Aaron Goldberg/p and Donald Brown/key focus mostly on original material that is assertive and millennially musical.
Veteran Tardy brings his Coltrane voice the fire breathing pieces such as “Theodicy” with Carl keeping pace here and as well on Brown’s Elvin Jones-inspired “The Early Bird…” with some nifty stick work and dynamic bass alacrity on display. Some clever and original moments are heard with Carl’s Asian harmonics during his bassline of “Machi no Michi” which also includes some traditional Japanese drum work by brother Carl, while the two show they can burn with the best as Goldberg’s “Shed” is a fistful of dollars, while with Mobley, “49th Street” gleams with delight. Lots of music, with the exuberance of youth without the self indulgence.