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Eric Alexander, John Hicks, George Mraz, Idris Muhammad
Solid!, Milestone CD MCD-9283-2, 1998
Solid jazz satisfaction
To show you right where this review is going, it’s
been pretty much in my CD player for the last six days. I’ll push
the Play whenever I’m typing at the computer and need a cool down
session.
The music is slick and it slides. Nine tracks, 60 minutes. You
get your money’s worth. Starts with "Solid" by Sonny
Rollins, and ends with Coltrane’s "Straight Street," and
both cut the laser deeply into the groove. Solid is the
right title. Oh, man, it’s right.
This album contains compositions by the greats: Monk, Ellington,
Miles Davis, Sonny Clark. Good line-up they picked, and the four star
players (with two guest stars) know how to keep you hooked with jazz
that I’d call classical.
The opening song, "Solid," rolls to a close with sax
that spits out like twisty macaroni; then "Little Melonae"
starts on a great eight-minute piece of tenor sax from big-lipped Eric
Alexander. The piano jams chords on one side of your brain, while the
reed pumps out an amazing array of smooth notes, still staying on
track. Go to sleep with "Theme for Ernie" by Fred Lacey.
There’s a difference between sleeping from boredom and sleeping
because that’s where you want to go. This is where you want to
be.
I can’t tell if "Fire Waltz" is in 3/4 (waltz)
time, but does it matter? Here’s a Mal Waldron tune that dances
along with keys and high hats like it’s going out the door on New
Year’s night.
"Light Blue" by the one and only T. Monk is a beautiful
tune, and nicely titled. It’s not heavy blue, it’s not even
just blue. There is encouragement sparkling up from John Hicks’
piano. I only wish I could hear George Mraz’s bass more. It would
be a great place to lay down some booming counterpoint.
The album just came out late in ’98. You won’t be
disappointed. Unless you’re just an ass. – Ben
Ohmart
performers
Eric Alexander, tenor sax; John Hicks, piano; George Mraz, bass;
Idris Muhammad, drums; Jim Rotondi, trumpet; Joe Locke, vibraphone.
songs titles
Solid • Little Melonae • Theme for
Ernie • Fire Waltz • Four • The
Star-Crossed Lovers • My Conception • Light
Blue • Straight Street
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