Fool’s Journey
Self-Released, 2020
8/10
Matt DeMerritt has had a lengthy and substantial career, which actually started when he was gigging while still in high school. He honed his saxophone skills during college, and began playing on albums right after, eventually settling down in Los Angeles. Now, having played on over 75 recordings, here DeMerritt makes his debut as bandleader, where friends from bands like Tenacious D, Kneebody and Wayne Kramer, among others, are in attendance.
“Zero Intro” opens the listen with much attention to mood as a flurry of brass and drums from Brock Avery sets the mood quickly, and the nature-esque “Wellspring” follows with expressive wordless vocals from Suzy Williams, where lively percussion from Davey Chegwidden and Kaveh Rastegar’s proficient bass populate the playful spirit.
Deeper into the listen, “Loner’s Waltz” makes the most of DeMerritt’s elegant flute prowess, while “Limbo” spends 8 minutes with trumpet from Jamelle Adisa to help flesh out the soulful jazz climate. “Lunedi”, an album standout, then recruits piano acrobatics from Sam Barsh as DeMerritt anchors the calculated chaos.
Near the end, “Earth (Joe Henderson)” uses Tablas strategically and “Zero Outro” finishes much like how the album started- adventurous, a bit progressive and highly unpredictable.
As to be expected considering his fine work as a sideman, DeMerritt hits it out of the park on his first time at the helm, where his varied and easily enjoyable version of jazz flows with engaging, timeless precision.
Travels well with: The Moore-McColl Jazz Society- Electric Fantastic; Kenny Kotwitz & The LA.Jazz Quintet- When Lights Are Low