Igor Willcox Quartet: Live at The Jazz Room (Canada)

With his second live release in as many years, Brazilian drummer Igor Willcox continues to display—with equal parts potent suppleness and sheer fusion momentum—the high energy level at the core of his game. Add to that Newton's Third Law—that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction—and you've got a really clear read on what Live at the Jazz Room (Canada) is all about.

The quartet—saxophonist Wagner Barbosa, keyboardist/pianist Vinícius Morales and bassist Glécio Nascimento—ignite the proceedings with a funk/groove charge firing on all cylinders on "Brotherhood," one of four titles, including "The Scare," "Waltz for My Love" and "Room 73," that also appear on Willcox's 2018 outing Live! (Room 73 Records).

But if you'll recall from not long ago, some sage or pundit posited that energy was key to Willcox's game, and that holds as unerringly true for his three cohorts. Barbosa and Morales are particularly flammable, ("The Scare," "Room 73," "UFO"), while Nascimento ("Julie's Blues") pops, burbles and shifts foundations with confident juxtaposition. Unfalteringly, Willcox's kinetic swing/fusion holds it all remarkably together ("Waltz for My Love," "Brad's Vibe," and the extra-exuberant set closer, Chick Corea's "Humpty Dumpty.") In the end, besides the undeniably energizing listen, one can only wonder how much fire insurance Canadian venues filed for when these four left the building.

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