There's nothing idle about these hands – as the group have a tightness that makes you think they've been together for years – which is maybe partly the case, as many of the artists are part of the great and ever-growing legacy of the Posi-Tone label! And while the company has given us great albums with single artists in the lead over the years, they've maybe been hitting even more strongly of late with groups of this nature – almost an all-leader effort, but in which all players come together with great sympathy for each other – in a lineup that features Will Bernard on guitar, Behn Gillece on vibes, Sam Dillon on tenor sax, Art Hirahara on piano, Boris Kozlov on bass, and Donald Edwards drums. The album's overflowing with fresh, original material – and titles include "Barreling Through", "Silver Bullet", "Maxwell Street", "Ashes", "Sock's House", "Motion", and "Event Horizon " – plus nice takes of Stevie Wonder's "You And I" and Freddie Hubbard's "Theme For Kareem". ~ Dusty Groove
The legendary Joe McPhee joins the British Decoy trio – and as with previous records, the results are completely amazing – and a great reminder that McPhee is still one of the most vibrant improvisers on the planet! The group's got a very unusual element in the Hammond B3 of Alexander Hawkins – an instrument you don't often hear in a free jazz setting, and which is used here almost as a reminder of, and contrast to, McPhee's earliest recordings with an organ player – as Hawkins is as open, experimental, and freely improvising as the other members of the group – who include Steve Noble on drums and John Edwards on bass, plus Joe himself on pocket trumpet and alto sax! The album features two long improvisations, both pretty mind blowing – "A/C" and "D/C". ~ Dusty Groove
An album that explodes with life, soul, and energy right from the very first note – a jazz set from keyboardist George Burton, but a record that weaves in lots of different strands along the way – with a sense of imagination that's certain to make Burton's music something to really keep an ear on for years to come! Yet already, this record is more than enough – and grabs us in a way we're not usually grabbed – as George balance his own bold energy on piano and Fender Rhodes with occasional vocals from a female singer, work by Tim Warfield on soprano sax, Chris Hemingway on alto, and Andy Bianco on guitar, and a trio of different drummers who really know when to kick in and propel the album forward! Burton is never content to just lay down a solo, or swing a groove – and there's a larger sonic palette of soul to the record that has to be heard to be understood – yet even the few straighter jazz numbers are pretty amazing too. Imagine the joy you felt when you first heard the early records of Robert Glasper, and you'll get some of the energy this record can deliver – on titles that include "Finding", "Gratitude", "Spirit", "Reciprocity", "Third Prayer", "Finite Space", "Us", "Power", and "Turn". ~ Dusty Groove
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