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If a musical work aspires to the adventurous, it is
essential to have musicians who can confidently
navigate the terrain. Saxophonist David Binney has
assembled such a crew on South : tenorist Chris Potter, guitarist Adam
Rogers, pianist Uri Caine, and bassist Scott Colley,
plus Brian Blade or Jim Black on drums.
The opening "Out Beyond Ideas" is layered
like a story with several chapters. Potter wails
passionately above the soaring vamp until everyone
gently alights to Earth. "The Global Soul" opens with
a mysterious plucked solo by Colley, percolating with
Caine and Colley in a three-note tandem. "Leaving the
Sea" begins with a creeping piano statement
and, in its wake, Binney's soprano whispers into play
along with spare accompaniment by Colley and Blade.
The hypnotic ballad "Traveler" features Rogers
overdubbed on guitars and electronic effects by
Binney. "New York Nature" includes more
dexterous axe-work, starting off in the jazz idiom and
ending up as a soul/funk excursion.
Binney is the prime mover behind this project, but
he has so much confidence in his fellow musicians that
he seems content to stay somewhat in the background. His
compositions are almost symphonic in nature,
challenging without being esoteric, thought-provoking
without seizing the listener by the collar.
South proves that jazz is not restricted to a
head/solos/head structure. Nor does it have to be a
lot of indiscriminate wailing in an arcane tongue. As
leader, Binney takes full advantage of his talented
ensemble, and this excellent disc reveals just how connected the common
threads of music, from jazz to R&B to
classical, can be.
This review originally appeared in the July 2003 issue of
All About Jazz - New York.
~ Terrell Holmes
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Track Listing: 1. Out Beyond Ideas - 5:25
2. Moment in Memory - 9:01
3. The Global Soul - 5:16
4. Leaving the Sea - 12:11
5. Von Joshua - 5:22
6. Traveler - 5:55
7. New York Nature - 8:32
8. Southpaw - 6:29
9. The Global Soul (Reprise) - 1:57
10. Tangles Outcome - 3:44
11. South - 6:54
Personnel: Dave Binney - Sax (Alto), Sax (Soprano), Producer, Sampling;
Jim Black - Drums;
Brian Blade - Drums;
Uri Caine - Piano;
Scott Colley - Bass;
Adam Rogers - Guitar.
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