No More Mr. Nice Guy
The opening cut "C'era Chi," a translingual pun on "Cherokee" uses the familiar Ray Noble melody in a new setting. The song begins with a slow, bluesy vamp from the rhythm section of guitar, the leader's bass, and drums. Two saxes play the A theme in a different tempo. For the B theme the whole band moves into double time. There are two post-bop solo choruses before the B theme signals the cold ending. Three minutes and out.
This track introduces many of the disc's qualities. Molinari wisely features strong frameworks for group performance rather than showing off their chops. He and his band continually go one step further than necessary. They flirt with gimmickry, but their emotional clarity, especially George Garzone, keeps the music down to earth even during the few "out" passages.
At 8 1/2 minutes, "Blues Anyone?" is the longest track. It has a Monkishly skeletal melody/structure and good solos all around, including a drum solo by Matt Wilson of extreme quiet and tunefulness. "Your Child" is a moody ballad with a chord sequence that hesitates and then melts away. An adventurous and accomplished release.
- B. Patterns
