This refreshing new offering by jam composer, poet and educator Michael Garrick includes compositions (by the leader and Martin Hathaway) that embody a variety of styles. Other classic pieces by Ellington (a long-standing influence and hero of Garrick's) Golson, Pastorius and the late Anglo/West Indian alto saxophonist Joe Harriot, feature importantly in this collection.
Martin Hathaway's emotive and sinewy alto saxophone fleetly dances through the many idioms. His lyricism, evident on the opening strains of Fairies of Onoirosi evolves into freer, more angular cries and hollers as the piece takes a more troubled turn. Garrick's quirky, two-handed pianisms embrace many idioms and influences not least that of the aforementioned Maestro. His plaintive melodicism shines through on Little Girl while he is not afraid to emphasise a dissonance in a way that my former teacher, Bob Brookmeyer liked to refer to as continually searching for the right 'wrong note'. | |
The sturdy support and unique rhythm team commentaries of Paul Moyland and Alan Jackson confirm that this quartet is a unified and established concern. Aside from an ill-advised use of a rather cheesy sounding keyboard/organ device on one selection, the overall sound of this recording and group has a richness and buoyancy that rivals other leading releases. Plaudits also to the Red Gables Studio in Greenford for their continued fine quality work.
Frank Griffith. |
'The New Quartet' 