Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Cuong Vu 4-Tet: Leaps of Faith

328

Cuong Vu 4-Tet: Leaps of Faith

By

View read count
Cuong Vu 4-Tet: Leaps of Faith
Cuong Vu's Leaps of Faith is one of the most creative and thoughtful jazz recordings released so far this year, suggesting that jazz remains alive and thriving. Like the best of contemporary jazz, it's mixture of worlds is both atonal and melodic; free, but following form; complex, while also accessible.

This record is rich in musical experiences, beginning with a free-flowing interpretation of the classic "Body and Soul," that drifts along on Vu's tender trumpet lines. Another standard, "All the Things You Are," is set to the 4-tet's solid and unerring rhythm section. The two-bass approach to accompaniment, with Stomu Takeishi and Luke Bergman), provides an entirely original, and quite appealing interpretation of this enduring song, with Vu's quick, melodic solo in perfect contrast to his freer playing on "Body and Soul." His masterful trumpet lines are enjoyable, while the rhythm section brings an entirely new feel to the tune. The third standard on Leaps of Faith is an equally unique and engaging take on "My Funny Valentine," with hints of Miles Davis laid over sparse drum and bass playing that not only lays down a foundation over which Vu can improvise, but pushes its experimentation with tonality and rhythm.

Vu's original compositions also stand on their own: the trumpeter sounding much as he did on Pat Metheny Group's The Way Up(Nonesuch, 2005) on Leaps of Faith's title track, his frenetic energy jumping over a drilling rhythm section. Elsewhere, his tone is beautiful on "Child-Like (for Vina)" and, with "I Shall Never Come Back," the longest track at over fifteen minutes, Vu explores his most out-of-the-box writing and playing of the set.

Vu also covers George Harrison's "Something" in a way that's as ethereal as his take on "Body and Soul." He also delivers an endearing and beautiful version of Jackson Browne's "My Opening Farewell," the perfect way to close the record.

As Vu switches back and forth between gorgeous, melodic lines and raw blasts of energy, Ted Poor tip-toes all over the drum set, while the bassists deliver quickly walking-style lines and slow, chord-like accompaniment. One of the year's most creative records, Leaps of Faith is something more than a straight-ahead rehashing of classic tunes, while avoiding the occasionally inaccessible experimentation of some contemporary jazz. Sometimes feeling like jazz, other times more like rock, Leaps of Faith is a history of jazz, and a unification of traditions.

Track Listing

Body and Soul; All The Things You Are; My Funny Valentine; Leaps of Faith; Child-Like; Something; I Shall Never Come Back; My Opening Farewell.

Personnel

Album information

Title: Leaps of Faith | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: Origin Records

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

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

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.