OPUS 5 - Swing on This
Criss Cross Jazz: CD 1406
Seamus Blake (tenor sax) Alex Sipiagin (trumpet, flugelhorn) David Kikoski (piano, Fender Rhodes) Boris Kozlov (bass) Donald Edwards (drums)
Recorded at the Samurai Hotel Recording Studio, Astoria, New York, September 7, 2021.
`Swing on This` is Opus 5’s fifth recording but even without knowing that it is clear from the opening notes that this is a real band and not a scratch combo, such is the cohesive, well -rehearsed ensemble work that ensues. Each of the players is a recording star in his own right; what they have in common is that they have all played in the Mingus Big Band, Kozlov being its musical director since 2004. Their relationship dates back to 2010 when Sipiagin and Blake decided to form a band to play original music that whilst avoiding references to the Mingus repertoire would nevertheless display elements of its energy and ingenuity; what emerged was a hard bop sound layered with post-bop expressiveness and it is that creative ethos that informs each of the eight pieces performed in this latest release.
Six of the pieces represent the work of individual band members with only the opening and closing pieces being sourced from outside the group; the former is the title track and it lives up to its name in every respect with an infectious rhythmic drive propelling the tight ensemble work and exciting solo contributions; the latter is Bobby Watson’s rousing theme,` In Case You Missed It` which was a staple of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers during their hardest of hard bop iterations and reprised by Watson himself for his superb Blue Note album , `Post Motown Bop`. In this version it is embellished with a gospel piano prelude before surging into a shuffling groove.
As well as being responsible for two of the originals drummer Donald Edwards contributes hugely in raising the temperature and building the group’s momentum with his command of the metric vocabulary taking in the entire range of rhythmic solutions from simple two beat swagger to hip-hop funkiness, laying back one minute and laying it on another, with plenty of snap, crackle and pop. In combination with the big sound of Kozlov’s resonant bass and Kikoski’s perfectly placed comping, his peerless technique guarantees a buoyant, uplifting foundation for the front line instrumentalists as the work their way through a set of spirited pieces delivering solos that both challenge and beguile.
Kikoski has long been a favourite of mine since I caught him in live performance with the Brecker Brothers some years ago. Subsequently I acquired a couple of his trio albums which, though very pleasing, didn’t seem to capture the excitement he is capable of. In this company he comes close to achieving the headlong swing of his live gigs and it could be that he feeds off the vibe generated within the hard-bop group environment. He also has a reflective, lyrical side to his musical character and this is brought to the fore on several occasions but most notably in the album’s single ballad`Moonbay`, Kozlov’s paean to the view from his Manhattan terrace. Neither of the horn players have anything to prove; they know their stuff, are well versed in the hard-bop vernacular without falling back on clichés, constructing solo narratives that fix your attention and leave you wanting more. This is jazz music of a very high order; long may their collaboration under the Opus 5 banner thrive.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
Criss Cross Jazz: CD 1406
Seamus Blake (tenor sax) Alex Sipiagin (trumpet, flugelhorn) David Kikoski (piano, Fender Rhodes) Boris Kozlov (bass) Donald Edwards (drums)
Recorded at the Samurai Hotel Recording Studio, Astoria, New York, September 7, 2021.
`Swing on This` is Opus 5’s fifth recording but even without knowing that it is clear from the opening notes that this is a real band and not a scratch combo, such is the cohesive, well -rehearsed ensemble work that ensues. Each of the players is a recording star in his own right; what they have in common is that they have all played in the Mingus Big Band, Kozlov being its musical director since 2004. Their relationship dates back to 2010 when Sipiagin and Blake decided to form a band to play original music that whilst avoiding references to the Mingus repertoire would nevertheless display elements of its energy and ingenuity; what emerged was a hard bop sound layered with post-bop expressiveness and it is that creative ethos that informs each of the eight pieces performed in this latest release.
Six of the pieces represent the work of individual band members with only the opening and closing pieces being sourced from outside the group; the former is the title track and it lives up to its name in every respect with an infectious rhythmic drive propelling the tight ensemble work and exciting solo contributions; the latter is Bobby Watson’s rousing theme,` In Case You Missed It` which was a staple of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers during their hardest of hard bop iterations and reprised by Watson himself for his superb Blue Note album , `Post Motown Bop`. In this version it is embellished with a gospel piano prelude before surging into a shuffling groove.
As well as being responsible for two of the originals drummer Donald Edwards contributes hugely in raising the temperature and building the group’s momentum with his command of the metric vocabulary taking in the entire range of rhythmic solutions from simple two beat swagger to hip-hop funkiness, laying back one minute and laying it on another, with plenty of snap, crackle and pop. In combination with the big sound of Kozlov’s resonant bass and Kikoski’s perfectly placed comping, his peerless technique guarantees a buoyant, uplifting foundation for the front line instrumentalists as the work their way through a set of spirited pieces delivering solos that both challenge and beguile.
Kikoski has long been a favourite of mine since I caught him in live performance with the Brecker Brothers some years ago. Subsequently I acquired a couple of his trio albums which, though very pleasing, didn’t seem to capture the excitement he is capable of. In this company he comes close to achieving the headlong swing of his live gigs and it could be that he feeds off the vibe generated within the hard-bop group environment. He also has a reflective, lyrical side to his musical character and this is brought to the fore on several occasions but most notably in the album’s single ballad`Moonbay`, Kozlov’s paean to the view from his Manhattan terrace. Neither of the horn players have anything to prove; they know their stuff, are well versed in the hard-bop vernacular without falling back on clichés, constructing solo narratives that fix your attention and leave you wanting more. This is jazz music of a very high order; long may their collaboration under the Opus 5 banner thrive.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
