Best known for his work with the likes of tenor saxists Pharoah Sanders, Benny Golson and Eric Alexander, drummer Joe Farnsworth shows how he can stretch out and still swing with a fresh sound of musicians from today’s generation. He bring in alto saxist Immanuel Wilkins and ringer guitar wizard Kurt Rosenwinkel along with bassist Robert Hurst and pianist/keyboardist Julius Rodriguez for some fresh and exciting (mostly) new tunes.
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Rosenwinkel really brings in his “A” game with creative ideas as the floating “Terra Nova” with WIlkins and the fragrant “Safe Corners” sublimed by Hurst, while Wilkins’ “Composition 4” has the saxist team with some wondrous guitar environs. As expected, Farnsworth is a painter with a wide palate, boogalooing with Rodriguez’s keyboards on the funky title tune, deftly digging in with his brushes on his own ‘Bobby No Bags” and supplying gracious understatement on “Someday We’ll All Be Free”. If this band tours, can I follow them around?