Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Michael Blake Trio: Right Before Your Very Ears

167

Michael Blake Trio: Right Before Your Very Ears

By

Sign in to view read count
Michael Blake Trio: Right Before Your Very Ears
The opening tune and the manic, anguished cover aside, there's nothing to fear on Michael Blake's Right Before Your Very Ears. The album's contents are delightful, creative adventures in jazz, with saxophonist Blake, bassist Ben Allison and drummer Jeff Ballard conjuring the strength and imagination of a much larger outfit.

Most of Right Before Your Very Ears likes to groove, making the voluminous and jagged "Run for Cover," the previously mentioned opening number, a harsh introduction. The next tune, the playful "Funhouse," is a better approximation of the magic these three players can produce. It is on "Flip," though, where the band strikes the proverbial gold mine. Paced at various speeds, speaking in multiple tongues, dancing to various melodies, the tune is dense with ideas and images, where nothing remains steady and, yet, everything comes together and makes sense. One only assumes that these are the promises of the hackneyed term "free jazz."

This is, indeed, music free of genre restrictions, free of expectations and, if the listener is willing to participate, free to various possibilities. Along with "Flip," there are meditative pieces like "Mt. Harissa" and "Careless Love," the slight agitations of "Right Before Your Very Ears," the angular fun of "San Francisco Holiday," as well as the propulsive joys of "Fly With the Wind," and "All of This is Yours." Though it's a cliche thing to say, Right Before Your Very Ears is one of the better albums of 2005. Guilty as charged for being silly, but, hey, we all lose our senses when we fall in love.

Track Listing

Run For Cover; Funhouse; Mt. Harissa; Right Before Your Very Ears; Flip; Fly With the Wind; San Francisco Holiday; All of This is Yours; Careless Love.

Personnel

Michael Blake
saxophone, tenor

Michael Blake: tenor and soprano saxophone; Ben Allison: bass; Jeff Ballard: drums.

Album information

Title: Right Before Your Very Ears | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: Clean Feed Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris
Candid
Sunny Five
Inside Colours Live
Julie Sassoon

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.