Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Scott Colley: Architect of the Silent Moment

Scott Colley: Architect of the Silent Moment

By Fred Bouchard
September 21, 2007
View read count

For bassist Colley's Architect of the Silent Moment, a conceptual construct (more poetically, a fantasia) for small ensemble, the oft-quoted dictum has rarely seemed more apposite: "Less is more. Colley starts with a core quartet of Ralph Alessi (trumpet), Craig Taborn (keyboards) and Antonio Sanchez (drums), and guests emerge and disappear throughout the subtle, largely written, 54-minute work. Dave Binney's alto fleshes out dodge-and-weave frontlines that recall Shorter/Davis, and wails his lone caterwaul on "From Within. Mouth-harpist Gregoire Maret limns unisons with Binney and/or Alessi at times, and hits a sweet spot on the evocatively titled "Strip Mall Ballet.

Surprising ensemble turns bookend the album and pop up as curious diversions to break up the genial yet ingenious soundscape (two three-minute tracks of gritty free-blow by Alessi and guest pianist Jason Moran precede a Rhodes 'n' piano pedal fade). The title track recalls one of those wistful, angular energy spins of Kenny Wheeler; here Colley gives us his only solo that soon duos with Moran; the ensemble re-peaks and gives way to Maret in a rebuild of majestic heraldry atop Sanchez' crafty underpinnings.

Initial regret for a perceived lack of solos soon gives way to enjoyment exploring cumulative and unrepeated group textures. Towards the end, the band wittily conjures the late Andrew Hill in a quietly understated but all-hands-on-deck "Smoke Stack.

Track Listing

Usual Illusion; Strip Mall Ballet; El Otro; Architect of the Silent Moment; Masoosong; Feign Total; From Within; Smoke Stack; Window of Time.

Personnel

Scott Colley

bass

Scott Colley: bass; Ralph Alessi: trumpet; Craig Taborn: piano, Fender Rhodes, Hammond B-3; Antonio Sanchez: drums. Special guests: Dave Binney: saxophone; Jason Moran: piano; Gregoire Maret: harmonica; Adam Rogers; guitar.

Album information

Title: Architect Of The Silent Moment | Year Released: 2007 | Record Label: CAM Jazz

PREVIOUS / NEXT

For
< Previous

Swim To The River
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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.