Tenor saxist and composer John Petrucelli puts together an ambitions album from a collection of recorded concerts from Pittsburgh, PA. The band consists of a rhythm team of Peter park/g, Brett Williams/p, Paul Thompson/b and Gusten Rudolph/dr, and are supplemented by a rich and evocative strings quartet.
The ten pieces are filled with rich and sweeping movements, opening up with a solo intro by the warm tenorist on “Prelude” that leads into yearning strings and mysterious moods on “Intentions” and “Field of Heaven.” Folksy tunes such as “Garden of the Angels” allow Williams and to shine, while Thompson leads the way on the medium tempo’d modal piece on “sly” and the twin tenor journey with guest Melvin Butler on “Scallop Shell of Quiet.” Strong elegiac moments are evocative as the drums guide the way on the cadence of “Mercury Crossing,” with the strings used just enough to guide and accentuate, but not overwhelm the performance. Impressive and thought provoking.