Music For The River Jazz Suite: The Spirit Of Love River And Mississippi River
Truth Revolution, 2023
9/10
Listen to Music For The River Jazz Suite: The Spirit Of Love River And Mississippi River
A listen that bridges the ideas between the bassist and composer Vincent Hsu’s hometown of Kaohsiung, Taiwan and the Mississippi River, the Afro-Cuban backdrop accents this rich fusion listen that welcomes a large ensemble.
“Overture: Cotton Field” opens the record with Musaubach’s warm piano alongside Chieh-An Fan’s intimate clarinet, as the soulful brass enters charmingly, and “River Is Wide” follows with Carol Huang’s playful congas and Kuan-Liang Lin’s firm drumming complementing Hsu’s double bass acrobatics.
Halfway through, “Rumba For The River Trilogy” unfolds across two segments, where the first half leads soft and dreamy before the bright brass guides the rich climate, while the latter is a more rhythmic affair that carries plenty of big band prowess, and spotlights the strong sax playing.
Approaching the end, “River Workers” leads with hand clapping, where Yu-Chen Tseng’s meticulous violin adds much to the dynamic interaction, and “Oya” exits with a thick and soaring presence that’s part rock, part jazz and orchestral in fascinating ways, too.
A record that has been 15 years in the making, when Hsu made a trip to New Orleans and absorbed the history of jazz, the meshing of strings, horns, Latin percussion and the player’s inestimable talents makes for a complex, exciting experience.
Travels well with: Elsa Nilsson’s Band Of Pulses- Pulses; Brad Turner Quintet- The Magnificent