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Jeremy Udden: Torchsongs
In a sense, the live performance allowed the band to complete some unfinished business. On Torchsongs, "Eternal Flame fades out as guitarist Ben Monder is playing a blistering solo, leaving the song with a case of something like McLaughlin interruptus. On the bandstand, however, Monder's unbound guitar growled and scratched as he razed the boundaries of the arrangement, splashing color all around like Jackson Pollock at a canvas.
On Steve Lacy's "Blinks the septet stretched out by playing with a wealth of texture and invention. Fender Rhodes player Leo Genovese, drummer Ziv Ravitz and bassist Garth Stevenson were excellent; Monder made his ax purr like an Indy car, and Udden played his most exploratory and challenging choruses of the evening.
Tunes like "Every Step and "Tut Muffin skirt the edges of fusion via Genovese's Rhodes stylings, Monder's fiery guitar and Ravitz's percussive underpinnings. At the other extreme, Bob Brookmeyer's world-weary trombone waltzes nicely with Udden's soprano on "Marin. Genovese's impassioned playing on "Fish Lake gives the tune a Bad Plus kind of tension, whereas Udden, Stevenson and Ravitz team up on "Loaded for one of the most dynamic collaborations on the disc.
Track Listing
Every Step; Tut Muffin; Marin; Fish Lake; Blinks; Eternal Flame; Red Keys; Indecision; Wednesday; Loaded; Afterthought.
Personnel
Jeremy Udden
woodwindsJeremy Udden: alto & soprano saxophones; Nathan Blehar: tenor saxophone; Bob Brookmeyer: valve trombone; Ben Monder: guitar; Tim Miller: guitar; John Lockwood: bass; Garth Stevenson: bass; Matt Wilson: drums; Ziv Ravitz: drums; Leo Genovese: Fender Rhodes.
Album information
Title: Torchsongs | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: Fresh Sound New Talent
About Jeremy Udden
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