Time's Mirror

Review The title track of Tom Harrell's first outing as a big-band leader offers opening notes and a solo that should further his reputation as one of the jazz world's most revered brass men. His flugelhorn sound is gently probing and burnished in tone. Its resonance hangs in the air - and in our ears - long after the tune has expired. Its warmth and room-filling presence demand an emotional response. The same might be said for the sound of the powerhouse, 18-piece ensemble Harrell assembled for this set of originals (some dating back to the '60s) and of interpretations of cherished favorites. Under Harrell's leadership, his ensemble - highlighted by tenorman Don Braden and pianist Xavier Davis - seems to extend his own measured, artful approach to the flugelhorn. However structurally conventional the arrangements may be, their soft-hued nature is refreshing amidst today's brassy, swing-crazed big bands. First, the familiarities: "Autumn Leaves," big and bouncy, gives tenor saxophonist Alex Foster room to romp before the chart explodes into trumpet shakes and ends with a pensive reverie. Johnny Mercer's "Dream" is a lush reading of a gorgeous theme, flickering with constant, clever shaping and reshaping. Charlie Parker's "Chasin' the Bird," opened with a beefy Kenny Davis bass line, intermingles woodwinds with low and high brass for a twisting, rambunctious take on the melody line and eventually gives way to an incandescent, deftly constructed Harrell trumpet solo. "Shapes," the first track, comes on like a wind symphony and shifts into a twisting theme before opening up for improvisations by Foster, Harrell, Davis, and drummer Carl Allen. "Daily News" features Harrell's flugel bouncing off rising and falling tides of horns. "São Paulo" is a light and breezy bossa. "Train Shuffle" sends us home with chugging rhythms and particularly inquisitive solos by trombonist Conrad Herwig and Braden. It's a bluesy, evocative end to a journey that's invigorating and full of promise for the next trip of its kind. --Philip Booth, JAZZIZ Magazine Copyright © 2000, Milor Entertainment, Inc. -- From Jazziz
ASIN: B00000K4GU
VSKU: DBV.B00000K4GU.N
Condition: New
Author/Artist:Tom Harrell
Binding: Audio cd
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