Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Mike Tucker: Collage

145

Mike Tucker: Collage

By

View read count
Mike Tucker: Collage
When Mike Tucker comes out swinging with "Fanfare, the expectations run high for Collage. Tucker does not disappoint in terms of the music, almost all of which he has composed, and also the playing of his tight and cohesive band. Tucker takes a variety of sounds and spins them into a convincing web. He plays with a calm authority, whether driving the insides of a bopping tune or filtering the gentility of a ballad. He certainly shows a lot of promise on this debut recording.

Trumpeter Eric Bloom comes in as a guest on the opener to interweave lines, hold a dizzying conversation, and have his own say. But bassist Hogyu Hwang and drummer Lee Fish set the irresistible and charming rhythmic tone on that first tune. Bloom has a fine sense of timing that he wraps in a slew of ideas and lights the fuse for Tucker, whose deep-toned ruminations push and swell the melody in a giddy rush.

The mood flips over for the "70's. This ballad quite simply glows, the fire kindled by Tucker, his lines long and warm. Leo Genovese adds another shade, all bristly and jumpy on the Fender Rhodes. The contrast sits in snugly. A bright, swaying "Double Mambo springs in before Tucker slows down to take the melody out and investigate its dynamics. His tone at times has a shade of Sonny Rollins, but he goes past that and brings in his own robust technique. And once again Genovese adds flighty contrast, this time on the piano.

Track Listing

Fanfare, Kathy, The Hey Man Tenor Club, 70's, New orleans, Bird Lives, Double Mambo, Sapce Suite: Space #1 & Space #2; Mbira.

Personnel

Mike Tucker
saxophone, tenor

Mike Tucker: saxophone; Lee Fish: drums and percussion; Leo Genovese: piano, Fender Rhodes, sythesizer; Hogyu Hwang: bass.

Album information

Title: Collage | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: Self Produced

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About 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 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.

More

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

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

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.