RICARDO
SILVEIRA / JOHN LEFTWICH - COSMOS
A set that
not only offers up some great work from co-leaders Ricardo Silveira on guitar
and John Leftwich on bass – but one that also includes some of the best small
group work we've heard from Hubert Laws in years! The legendary flautist really
opens up on the record – with these soulfully-blown lines that really take us
back to his genius of the 70s – that breathy approach to his instrument that
really set Hubert apart, and which created such a great flow on his classic
albums. That flow is a great match for the warmly chromatic lines of Silveira
on guitar – whose approach is gentle, but a bit more punctuated – as is the
bass work of Leftwich, which has this subtle rumble that brings the bottom up
in careful ways. Drummer Kiko Freitas completes the group – and titles include
"Outro Rio", "Reflections", "Cosmos", "Valsa
Nova", "9 to 1", and "Northeast & West". ~ Dusty
Groove
WHIT DICKEY
/ KIRK KNUFFKE – FIERCE SILENCE
A brilliant
pairing of drums and cornet – and a record that's every bit as bold as the musicians
who created it! Drummer Whit Dickey punctuates the sound here in great ways –
sometimes snapping the kit with an infectious pulse, sometimes moving into
gentler sonic realms – but always with an inventive style that hangs somewhere
between the role of timekeeping and much freer modes – while Kirk Knuffke's
cornet lines step out with a spacious sound of their own – often hitting a
different time structure than Whit, or concentrating on a key sonic quality –
before blowing off into new shapes and tones. The pairing almost feels as if
Max Roach and Leo Smith cut a set of duets – and titles include "The
Calling", "Fierce Silence", "Stalker",
"Lodestar", "Legba's Dance", "Ashes", and
"Leave It To The Wind". ~
Dusty Groove
LARRY JOSEPH
WITH LUCI MARTIN & DEE SCOTT – YOUNG GIANTS OF PLATINUM FUNK VOL. 1: YOU’RE
THE BEST (VOCAL, EXTENDED MIX)/IRRESISTIBLE
A sweet
80s-styled groove from bassist Larry Joseph – one that's peppered with some
tightly riffing guitar and great piano fills – and topped with soaring lead
vocals from Luci Martin of Chic! The whole thing sounds like it might have been
done right during the mid 80s run of Chic (there's no date on the record) – and
the extended mix has some nice bassy bits too! Dee Scott sings on
"Irresistible" – with a style that's a bit more in the higher range
of the soul vocal spectrum, which suits the catchy hook of the track
wonderfully! ~ Dusty Groove
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