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Mike Baggetta: Small Spaces
Opener "The Heights" is a subtle manifesto for the leader's approach to group music. After an eddying free duet between Opsvik and Miller, with the bassist pushing the tempo slightly, tenor and guitar enter in a series of phrases that float around, ahead of and behind the beat, in a jumpy unison that recalls Warne Marsh and Billy Bauer on a wobbly deck. The Dunbar training seems readily apparent; Baggetta comps with dissonant chordal accents, placed at odd intervals and spiking the quartet's punch. Yet he expands on that as a "pure-sound player," his holdover from preparations and detuning a tendency to sit and chew a tart chord, isolating and letting it hang in the air. Even on a taut groover like "No Gravity," cutting edges poke through the theme's fabric, piercing highs that tug at comfort zones. Baggetta's single-note lines are evenly paced, but the ear recalls the head's lemony flavor and his solo retains a strong, wiry nature. By comparison, Rigby's hard edge is positively rounded and the two make an excellent frontline. Indeed, Baggetta's work with hornmen plays out in an affinity for breath if only to coil around it over supple rhythmic support. Rare is the young musician who fuses avant-garde and post-bop mettles so effortlesslySmall Spaces is a refreshingly unsafe approach to modern jazz.
Track Listing
The Heights; No Gravity; Stellar; Heartland; Olive Tree; Small Spaces; Hospital Song; Trails.
Personnel
Mike Baggetta
guitarMike Baggetta: guitar; Jason Rigby: tenor saxophone; Eivind Opsvik: bass; R.J. Miller: drums.
Album information
Title: Small Spaces | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: Fresh Sound New Talent
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