There You Go Thinking Again
Jazz Hang, 2018
8/10
Listen to There You Go Thinking Again
The jazz saxophone quartet Four, consisting of Mark Watkins, Ray Smith, Sandon Mayhew, and Jon Gudmundson, are aligned with 5 saxophone quartets on this jazz record where celtic, funk and even classical ideas are present in spades.
The album opens up with 2 tunes with The Miami Saxophone Quartet, where “I Got Nothin’ But Nothin’” flows with playful and melodic fun, while “To Be In Love” moves with a calmer delivery of groove filled soulfulness.
The listen moves into Celtic influences on their tracks with the Richard Ingham Quartet, where they manage to make a saxophone replicate an accordion, and the title track, with Saxitude (Luxembourg), shows us innovative texturing with the many saxophones that few could replicate on the album highlight.
Deeper tracks like “Ballad”, with The Utah Saxophone Quartet, glide with timeless beauty in the restrained setting, and “Kilter” ends the listen as The Zagreb Quartet (Croatia) helps flesh out the quirky and playful exit.
A varied listen that swings and bounces while being chocked full of solos, this 5th album from Four is an incredible project that was pulled off flawlessly.
Travels well with: Paul English- Girl In Green; John McGuire- Lines At Dusk