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Mara Rosenbloom Quartet: Songs from the Ground
ByRosenbloom's brand of modern jazz is not all about rummaging through difficult time signatures or complex geometrical theme-building episodes. It's more focused on the construction of sustainable themes, underscored with distinct melody lines in unison with a hearty improvisational component. For example, she lays out a circular but somewhat weighty rhythmic countenance with hefty block chords and a concisely stated hook on "Whistle Stop," where alto saxophonist Darius Jones' vibrato induced phrasings take on vocal characteristics. Here, the pumping groove is reworked via bassist Sean Conly's solo spot, as he injects a calming effect into the big picture. Consequently, the pianist turns in a roots-oriented four-bar jazz-blues motif on the extended piece, "Common Language." Essentially, they go for the gusto within a primordial, no-nonsense blues vamp and alternate the pitch amid the frontline's emphatic choruses, shadowed with spiritual enlightenment.
Many of these works offer climactic events, alternating between a relaxed vibe and impassioned crescendos, but Rosenbloom's two brief solo pieces, "Relief (solo piano improvisation)" and "Song from the Ground," cast notions of solitude and introspection, amplifying the musical biopic that seeds the production. Nonetheless, Rosenbloom's quartet renders a multilateral viewpoint due to the contemplative qualities of these pieces, striking a balance that highlights the musicians' synergy and sympathetic adherence to the underlying nature of the program. Add the respective instrumentalists compelling dialogues into the equation and you have the recipe for success.
Track Listing
Relief; Whistle Stop; Small Finds; Unison; Common Language; To Be Alone; Songs from the Ground.
Personnel
Mara Rosenbloom
pianoMara Rosenbloom: piano; Darius Jones: alto saxophone; Sean Conly: bass; Nick Anderson: drums.
Album information
Title: Songs from the Ground | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: Fresh Sound New Talent
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Songs from the Ground