Ingrid Laubrock's soprano saxophone is clearly her strongest voice, playing it on most of the cuts with brief forays on tenor and alto. Her seamless negotiation of the soprano's different registers and admirable pitching of the high-end in particular, are deserving of much respect by musos and punters alike. Aside from the occasional tendency to use a somewhat distracting wide shaky vibrato for effect, I feel that she is among the top few on the instrument in Britain today.
Seven of the nine compositions are her originals, all of which are varying in mood and explore different tonal pallets and orchestrations. Highlights include Nuff Said, a rhythmically quirky bop-like melody leading into a medium-up blues. The relentless driving Promethean tenor sax of Julian Siegel exchanges phrases with Laubrock's sinuous soprano, developing into an intensity-building exercise that recoils down effectively with Karim Marchant's swinging piano excursions to follow. | | The driving but supportive rhythmic battery of drummer Tom Skinner and bassist Larry Bartley are also featured in a duet of sorts. The latter's supple sound, powered along by his 'deep dish' sense of swing is especially welcome on this cut.
Lennie's Pennie's (c.Tristano) is an epic arrangement involving different time signatures and textures. Mark Bassey's soulful but melodic trombone solo scores soundly. Another arrangement, Beatrice, brings about a pensive and intimate mood with Laubrock's pure but understated vocal leaving the listener with traces of Elis Regina and the late Luis Bonfa. An auspicious CD by a fine saxophonist- composer with a multitude of stylistic avenues of expression.
Frank Griffith. |
'Some Times' 