That’s A Different Groove
Navona, 2025
9/10
Listen to That’s A Different Groove
The clarinet extraordinaire Marcus Eley brings along Lucerne DeSa and the Music Alive Ensemble for these 4 selections from the jazz legends Alvin Batiste, David N. Baker, Yusef Lateef, and Oliver Nelson.
“Tune Suite no. 1”, by Batiste, opens with Jason Williams’ strategic drums and Karl Vincent Wickliff’s skilled bass complementing Eley’s animated wind and the meticulous strings, and Baker’s “Sonata For Clarinet And Piano” follows with DeSa’s playful piano alongside the unpredictable clarinet.
On the back half, “Sonata For Clarinet And Piano” has the keys and clarinet interacting with a cinematic and charming demeanor of adventurousness in the Lateef piece, while “Sonata For Alto Saxophone And Piano”, by Nelson, exits with strong attention to mood and dynamics thanks to DeSa’s finger acrobatics and Eley’s unparalleled clarinet prowess.
An effort that’s not short on grooves, there’s plenty of rhythm to go around via these, swingin’ tunes that embrace chambers ideas, too.
Travels well with: Scott Brickman- Baltic Sketches; Frank Horvat- More Rivers