egroj world: James Spaulding • Escapade

Tuesday, May 21, 2024

James Spaulding • Escapade

Review by Michael G. Nastos
Well-swung standards and compositions of Kenny Dorham, Dexter Gordon, Grant Green and Hank Mobley are tapped for revision. Don Sickler (trumpet/flugelhorn) joins Spaulding for eight of the ten tracks, with the immaculate trio of pianist John Hicks, bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Kenny Washington as support. Spaulding's tart-sweet alto sax has never sounded better, while his pristine flute playing is easily in the top ten of late-'90s jazz performers. The CD is bookended by Dorham's music, the opening title track a flute/flugelhorn traipse through classic Blue Notesville in a light Afro-Cuban beat, the closer "La Mesha" a flute/flugel ballad. Mobley's music comes back to back, as jungle toms and light bluesy swing signify the easy mood of "High Modes," with flute and muted trumpet in unison, while the classic post-bop vehicle "The Breakthrough" has alto and trumpet strutting their stuff and puffing their chests. Gordon's similarly classic bopper "Cheesecake" has Sickler's flugelhorn playing a countermelody vis a vis Spaulding's standard alto line, and they do the same for the hip, churning melody of Grant Green's "Grant's Tune," except that Spaulding changes up on the tenor-led original by using his flute. The three numbers without Sickler are the scorching bop of "Just One of Those Things," the easy bossa beat of Duke Ellington's "Warm Valley," and the ballad treatment, on flute, of the final Mobley piece "Madeline." Spaulding shows a consistency within mainstream parameters, a real sense of teamwork with these worthy session mates, and a willingness to take chances.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/escapade-mw0000603776

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Reseña de Michael G. Nastos
Estándares y composiciones de Kenny Dorham, Dexter Gordon, Grant Green y Hank Mobley son revisados. Don Sickler (trompeta/fliscorno) se une a Spaulding en ocho de los diez temas, con el inmaculado trío del pianista John Hicks, el bajista Ray Drummond y el batería Kenny Washington como apoyo. El agrio y dulce saxo alto de Spaulding nunca ha sonado mejor, mientras que su impecable interpretación de la flauta se encuentra fácilmente entre las diez mejores de los intérpretes de jazz de finales de los 90. El CD está encabezado por la música de Dorham, el tema que abre el disco es un paseo de flauta y fliscorno por la clásica Blue Notesville en un ligero ritmo afrocubano, y el final, "La Mesha", una balada de flauta y fliscorno. La música de Mobley viene de atrás hacia adelante, como toms de la selva y el swing bluesy luz significan el estado de ánimo fácil de "High Modes", con flauta y trompeta silenciada al unísono, mientras que el vehículo post-bop clásico "The Breakthrough" tiene alto y trompeta pavoneándose sus cosas y resoplando sus pechos. En "Cheesecake", de Gordon, el fliscorno de Sickler toca una contramelodía con respecto a la línea de contralto estándar de Spaulding, y hacen lo mismo con la melodía agitada y moderna de "Grant's Tune", de Grant Green, excepto que Spaulding cambia el tenor original con su flauta. Los tres números sin Sickler son el abrasador bop de "Just One of Those Things", el fácil ritmo de bossa de "Warm Valley" de Duke Ellington, y el tratamiento de balada, con flauta, de la pieza final de Mobley "Madeline". Spaulding muestra una coherencia dentro de los parámetros dominantes, un verdadero sentido del trabajo en equipo con estos dignos compañeros de sesión, y una voluntad de arriesgarse.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/escapade-mw0000603776

Tracks:
1 - Escapade 5:52
2 - Cheesecake 6:38
3 - Warm Valley 5:13
4 - Madeline 5:08
5 - Just One Of Those Things 4:47
6 - Grant's Tune 6:34
7 - High Modes 6:43
8 - The Break Through 5:05
9 - It Could Happen To You 5:23
10 - La Mesha 6:21


Credits:
    Alto Saxophone – James Spaulding (tracks: 2, 3, 5, 8, 9)
    Bass – Ray Drummond
    Bass Flute – James Spaulding (tracks: 4, 7)
    Design – Littlefield & Company
    Drums – Kenny Washington
    Engineer – Rudy Van Gelder
    Engineer [Assistant] – Maureen Sickler
    Executive-Producer – Joe Fields
    Flugelhorn – Don Sickler (tracks: 1, 2, 6, 10)
    Flute – James Spaulding (tracks: 1, 6, 10)
    Photography By – Andrew Lepley*
    Piano – John Hicks
    Producer – Don Sickler
    Trumpet – Don Sickler (tracks: 7, 8)

Recorded at Van Gelder Recording Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, April 28, 1999

Label:    HighNote Records, Inc. – HCD 7039
Country:    US
Released:    2000
Genre:    Jazz
Style:    Hard Bop
https://www.discogs.com/release/8123931-James-Spaulding-Escapade