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Eric Revis: Eric Revis: In Memory Of Things Yet Seen
ByThat ethos persists when considering the baker's dozen of cuts on this studio session, as the ensemble encompasses a wide range of terrain. With this end in mind Revis has assembled a versatile top notch cast. Alto saxophonist Darius Jones plies his customary blend of sweet sour tunefulness and atonal skronk, contrasting with the more muscular motif-driven legato of tenor saxophonist Bill McHenry. Drummer Chad Taylor handles whatever's asked of him with graceful assurance, from rhythms either funky or intricate to balls to the wall pulsation.
In spite of the talent on hand, the fare remains less about solos which tend to be concise, and more about group interplay and mood. Nowhere is breadth of intent better illustrated than in the opening two tracks, where Taylor's vibes infuse the wistful Satiesque "The Tulpa Chronicles I" framing the leader's spare melodic variations, while the structured improv "Hits" commences with a clarion burst alternated with short explosive vignettes from each member before a final unruly collective. Revis revels in darting lines, hocketed themes (whereby a tune is shared between two or more instruments), and multiple layers of action, evidenced by the joyously awry "The Tulpa Chronicles II" and the vibrant "The Tulpa Chronicles III" which features an energetic arco workout by the bassist.
Of the two covers, Sun Ra's "Shadow World" hews close to the version on Magic City (Saturn, 1966), featuring suitably extraplanetary shrieks by the two horns, as Taylor pummels to a frenetic crescendo, while Sunny Murray's "Somethin's Cookin'" juxtaposes slowly percolating saxophones against busy bass and drums. Revis' erstwhile employer guests on the boppish "Unknown" inserting a knotty tenor outpouring into the buoyant limber swing, and again on the improvised "FreeB" joining a melee of bickering reeds crashing like waves on the shore. Overall there is almost too much to savor. Five numbers clock in at less than three minutes and even the longest is just over seven, so it would be great to hear them stretch out on all of this material in a concert setting.
Track Listing
The Tulpa Chronicles I; Hits; Son Seal; Somethin’s Cookin’ ; Unknown; The Tulpa Chronicles II; Voices; A Lesson Earned; The Shadow World; Hold My Snow Cone; FreeB; The Tulpa Chronicles III; If Your Are Lonesome, the You’re Not Alone
Personnel
Eric Revis
bassEric Revis: double-bass; Chad Taylor: drums, vibraphone; Bill McHenry: tenor saxophone; Darius Jones: alto saxophone
Album information
Title: Eric Revis: In Memory Of Things Yet Seen | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: Clean Feed Records
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