Here are a couple albums by artists that are putting out some impressive mainstream jazz. Thoughtful, creative and looking forward, but with feet planted on terra firma. Also, each include the trumpet or flugelhorn of Randy Brecker! Round, round, get around, he gets around!!! YEAH!
Soprano saxist/flutist Tsuyoshi Niwa teams up with Randy Brecker/tp, Yuichi Inoue/p, Phil Palombi/b and Billy Kilson/p for a collection of inventive hard bop. The mix of soprano and horn makes an excellent front line, light and breezy ans on the lone standard (“My Favorite Things”) as well as “Away and Home.” When Niwa’s flute is brought up front as on “Memories of Water,” the sound is a lovely pastel. Some tricky sounds are toyed with on “I Miss The Idea Of Her” which displays the flexibility of the rhythm team. Impressive on all fronts.
Brecker shows up for only three of the songs on It’s Not That Far, but the extra horn on the playful “Gentle Soul,” the energetic “Conundrum” and enticing “Geppetto” add an extra texture to the pianoless mix of Jonathan Ball/sax, Matthew Finck/g, Jay Anderson/b and Adam Nussbaum/dr. Finck’s lithe guitar is on excellent display on the linear and winding title track as well as the easy stride of “East 86th”. Ball’s got a rich and thick delivery on the well timed “The Way You Look Tonight,” while the rhythm team handles with delicacy the dainty ballad “I Thought You Had Gone.” Impressive sounds and themes.
jonathanballmusic.com