Thursday, July 7, 2011

John Escreet: The Age We Live In ? review

(Mythology)

British pianist and composer John Escreet has become such a key player on the Downtown scene in his adopted New York that young cutting-edge performers such as saxophonist David Binney and trumpet sensation Ambrose Akinmusire have been regulars on his albums. Last year's Don't Fight the Inevitable was tautly contemporary small-group postbop, this is a more ambitious venture with expanded brass parts, more complex narratives, and synthesised strings. It's also a good deal rockier, thanks to the powerful, sinewy guitar contribution of Wayne Krantz. A jolting contemporary-funk feel peppered with Binney's twisting alto-sax melodies is established from the opening Domino Effect, As the Moon Disappears reveals Escreet's broader sweep, through its slow strings moods and X-Files-like whistles. The long title track evolves through stuttering sax parts, into wah-wah guitar passages, Hammer-film organ swells, warm brass ensembles, and a gradual shift from hip-hop to a Latin groove. But there are reflective interludes for Escreet's delicate acoustic piano playing, and the session feels as if it has been conceived as an extended compositional whole.

Rating: 4/5


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