Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Azar Lawrence: Elementals
Azar Lawrence: Elementals
ByThe resemblance is particularly marked on the muscular and mellifluous studio-album Elementals. Lawrence wrote most of the tunes, and they are as clearly stamped with Coltrane's early 1960s tropes as is his saxophone style. Then there is a version of Rodgers & Hart's "It's Easy To Remember," which Coltrane himself recorded on Ballads (Impulse, 1963). The remaining three tunes were written by keyboard player Benito Gonzales, who has a more singular composing voice, but whose penchant for block chords cannot, in this context, fail to summon up Tyner. Only on Lawrence's Eastern-tinged "Solar Winds" does the music transition to a distinctly post-Coltrane aesthetic. That is not a criticism, though the track's success suggests it might be an avenue worthy of further exploration on a future album.
Lawrence's collaborations with Gonzales go back some time. Lawrence was a member of the sextet which recorded Gonzales's 2010 album, Circles (Furthermore Recordings), and in 2014 Gonzales was the keyboard player on Lawrence's The Seeker (Sunnyside Records). The presence on Elementals of Gonzales, who is of Venezuelan heritage, may be part of the reason for the South American undercurrent which runs through the album, and which is particularly apparent on Lawrence's opener, "La Bossa," and Gonzales's "Brazilian Girls."
Tapping into Lawrence's roots in spiritual-jazz as well as his fondness for ballads, Elementals is an unmitigated delight. It stands shoulder to shoulder with the superb 2017 Coltrane tribute The Late Trane (Edition Records) by British tenor saxophonist Denys Baptiste. This focuses on the often challenging work Coltrane recorded during the final two or three years of his lifepieces such as "Dusk Dawn," "Living Space," "Ascent" and "Vigil"successfully searching out and developing the melodic beauty within them.
Two great albums, then, which in different ways mark the 50th anniversary of Coltrane's passing.
Track Listing
La Bossa; Eye Of The Needle; Elementals; Brazilian Girls; Solar Winds; Koko; African Chant; Sing To The World; It’s Easy To Remember; Karma Sutra.
Personnel
Azar Lawrence
saxophoneAzar Lawrence: soprano and tenor saxophones; Benito Gonzales: keyboards; Jeff Littleton: bass; Marvin “Smitty” Smith: drums; Munyungo Jackson: percussion; Oren Waters: vocals (track 7); John Barnes: keyboards (track 1); Greg Poreel: guitar (tracks 5, 6); Mayuto Correa: hand drums (track 1).
Album information
Title: Elementals | Year Released: 2018 | Record Label: HighNote Records
Comments
About Azar Lawrence
Instrument: Saxophone
Related Articles | Concerts | Albums | Photos | Similar To