2007-05-27
The Star Ledger By Zan Stewart - Review
THE STAR LEDGER
(Newark, NJ)
Sunday, May 27
Jersey Jazz Grooves: Teaneck bassist comes into his own as a composer
By Zan Stewart
"Live at the Kennedy Center" - Rufus Reid Quintet (Motema)
***1/2
Long celebrated as a bassist, Teaneck resident Reid has in recent years sharpened his composition focus. The latest persuasive results are heard on this fine collection, recorded last October at the Kennedy Center in Washington.
"Come Out and Play" is an ideal opener, a medium swinger where each member
of the fivesome - trumpeter Freddie Hendrix, tenor saxophonist Rich Perry, pianist Sumi Tonooka and drummer Tim Horner - handles the theme in unison. Brief solos follow. "Ode to Angela" has a warm melody comprising gently curving thoughts played by Hendrix on flugelhorn and Perry.
The leader improvises with his typical resonant sound, agility and keen ear for songlike statements. Perry, Hendrix and Tonooka offer similarly tuneful efforts. "Celebration" is more open, shifts meters, boasts meaty, expressive solos.
"When She Smiles Upon Your Face" is another winner, with a mellifluous theme over a medium fast bossa-ish beat. "The Meddler" is a blues variant with fresh thematic and rhythmic flavor. The accompanying DVD includes an extra track, "The Peaceful Flame."
Reid's quintet plays June 16 at Pettoranello Amphitheatre, Princeton, free, (609) 921-9480, www.blue-curtain.org; and June 18 at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, New York, (212) 258-9595, www.jalc.org.
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