Our Heroes
AFAR, 2023
8/10
The quartet of Geof Bradfield, Richard D. Johnson, John Tate and Samuel Jewel come together for these harmonic and creative 9 tracks that tip their hat to Corea, Ellington and Green, among others.
The swift keys from Johnson opens up the cozy and flowing “Corea”, where Bradfield’s animated sax takes much focus, and “Loved Ones” follows with Jewell’s frisky drums and the soulful brass making for plenty of graceful melody.
Halfway through, “Caution” offers a swift and dynamic meshing of animated clarinet from Bradfield alongside the energetic drumming, while “High & Low” pays close attention to mood via Tate’s playful bass and Bradfield’s reed prowess.
Moving closer to the end, “Aspartame”, the album’s best, benefits much from the agile rhythm section amid the eloquent sax, and “The Cruelest Month” exits with a dance floor energy that shakes and bounces with an infectious personality.
The quartet pay tribute to their heroes with these well thought out songs, and the heartfelt and soulful songwriting sure sounds great and likely will for decades to come.
Travels well with: Anthony Fung- Fo(u)rth; Max Gerl- Max Gerl