Phil Stockli Quintet: Third Eye (2004)

Raul d'Gama Rose

Senior Contributor since 2003

When you hear great music, be prepared to be touched in your soul.

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Published: March 14, 2004

The title of this disc may be slightly misleading. If its creator, saxophonist Phil Stockli, is to be taken at his word, you should be transported on an astral expedition, the kind of which Pharoah Sanders and Dr. Lonnie Liston Smith regularly course. Or you may expect to experience a sense a moving inner spirit. This does not happen with or as a result of the music on Third Eye.

But what emerges is still beautifully intense. Stockli's voice is mature, robust and it emerges from a well-formed mindï"with loads of talent to boot. Not only this, Stockli can shift rhythmic bases from Brazil (as in "Source Nature ) to Latin Europe (as in "Colibri ), or simply remain in the classic realm of jazz centralï"his version of "Body & Soul has got to be one of the most surprising and refreshing you will hear in a long time! This is what makes the musical journey of Third Eye worth sharing with this extraordinary saxophonist and musician.

It bears mention here that Phil Stockli has a unique voice, deeply influenced by Wayne Shorter, but a voice all his own, nevertheless. And he grows on you with the bold nature of his harmonic leapsï"especially in "King Nature and "Body & Soul ï"harnessed with dramatic mastery of changing tempi by Matt Penman (bass) and Jeff Ballard (drums).

Track Listing: Source Nature; King Neptune; Babalou; Third Eye; Body & Soul; Timeless Tale; The Cost of Freedom; Moment's Joy; Stretch Out; Colibri

Personnel: Phil Stockli (Alto sax, tenor sax); Mike Moreno (guitar); Pete Rende (piano, fender rhodes, synth); Matt Menman (bass); Jeff Ballard (drums); Matthias Kunzli (percussion on tracks 1,5 and 8); Barbara Mendes (vocals on track 1)

Record Label: Fresh Sound New Talent
Style: Contemporary/Smooth