The Circle
Justin Time, 2020
9/10
The Doxas Brothers, i.e Chet (saxophone) and Jim (drums), navigate around some very exciting and creative jazz sounds here, where Marc Copland and Adrian Vedady contribute piano and bass respectively.
“Uno a la Vez” starts the listen with soft saxophone as warm keys and light percussion enter the soothing jazz climate, and “Temporal” continues the mature landscape with plenty of plucked bass amid the calm demeanor.
In the middle, “Old Sport” moves with a busy, dance friendly approach of timeless jazz flavor amid excellent percussion, while “A Word From The Wise” is initially a slow burner with dynamic interplay between the sophisticated delivery. “Joan’s Song”, an album highlight, then offers stirring and radiant song craft that gets busy as well as sparse with much beauty.
The record exits on “Another Soap Box” and “Goodbye”, where the former recruits a dizzying display of frisky instrumentation, and the latter finishes cautiously and innovative.
The Canadian siblings first gained fame as teenagers playing Carnegie Hall in 1996, which led to residencies in Montreal and eventually touring in both their home country and America, and they bring that vast experience to this captivating listen that any and all fans of jazz will be in awe of.
Travels well with: Rebecca Hennessy- All The Little Things You Do; Mario Romano- The Journey So Far