Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Mike Pope: Cold Truth, Warm Heart
Mike Pope: Cold Truth, Warm Heart
ByCold Truth, Warm Heart finds Pope in good company, working with a top-shelf quintet that includes Locke, pianist Geoffrey Keezer, tenor saxophonist Seamus Blake, and drummer Mauricio Zottarelli. There's no shortage of firepower in this line-up, yet Pope doesn't push the virtuosic angle. Each man has his moment(s), and numbers like "Ral And Tonto (For Ricky And Nicky)" serve as a firm reminder that Pope's playing can turn deadly at any moment, but this is no thrown together blowing session for heavyweights; it's far deeper than that.
The journey begins with the title track, which features a through-composed solo section underscored by a Latin-ish rhythmic current. Then comes the full-on funk of "Shadow Of A Doubt," the relatively straightforward "Bare Minimum," and pianist Alan Blackman's intoxicating arrangement of Reinhold Gliere's "Romance." Things take a turn for the mellow on "What I Meant To Say," which sits at the midpoint of the album, and the nebulous becomes tangible as "Out Of The Ether" develops. Blackman takes Keezer's place on Pope's reflective, partly-loyal/partly-new arrangement of Chopin's "Prelude In E Minor, Op. 28, No. 4," but Keezer's back on the bench for a slick and off-kilter fusion number ("Ral And Tonto (For Ricky And Nicky)") and the album-ending "Dear Life"Locke's moving, Blake-fronted tribute to the late Bob Berg.
Given the musicians involved, it should come as no great shock that this one is a solid and satisfying listen from start to finish; Cold Truth, Warm Heart is an out-and-out winner.
Track Listing
Cold Truth, Warm Heart; Shadow Of A Doubt; Bare Minimum; Romance; What I Meant To Say; Out Of The Ether; Prelude In E Min. Op. 28 No. 4; Ral And Tonto (For Ricky And Nicky); Dear Life.
Personnel
Mike Pope
bassMike Pope: acoustic bass, electric bass; Seamus Blake: tenor saxophone; Joe Locke: vibraphone; Geoffrey Keezer: piano, rhodes; Alan Blackman: piano (7); Mauricio Zotttarelli: drums; Lydia Courtney: vibraphone (6).
Album information
Title: Cold Truth, Warm Heart | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: Nineteen-Eight Records