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Jeff Baker: Phrases
ByThe distance between the earthy, basic Of Things Not Seen and the present airy and ethereal Phrases is a vast one. Baker increases his instrumentation dramatically, from a quintet on the former to a septet, adding an additional four as a string quartet for several selections. He also pulls all the stops on his composing, having written the majority of the 11 selections included. Foremost of the original compositions are those based on the writings of Pablo Neruda ("Neruda"), JD Salinger ("Salinger"), and Salvador Plascencia ("People of Paper"). Baker's melodies are lofty and light and his voice, solid with a rich hint of androgyny, meld well with the lyrics garnered.
"Ballad of the Sad Young Men" is nearly perfect in its adaptation to the surrounding material. Pianist Darrell Grant does an admirable job keeping this recording's light-as-air approach aloft and moving forward. It is a recognition of Baker's talent that he attracts bassist Clark Sommers and alto saxophonist Steve Wilson into his creative fray. Baker arrived years ago. It is now time for us to pay attention.
Track Listing
Neruda, And So It Goes, People of Paper, Ballad of the Sad Young Men, Harbor, Lost, A Hundred Less One, Salinger, Not Cause I Wanted To, Stay Alive, Don't Worry 'Bout Me
Personnel
Jeff Baker
vocalsJeff Baker, voc; Marquis Hill, tpt; Geof Bradfield, ts; Steve Wilson, as; Gregory Uhlmann, g; Clark Sommers, b; Brian Blade, d.; plus Blaise Magniere, violin; Marie Wang, violin; Anthony Devroye, viola; Cheng-Hou Lee, cello.
Album information
Title: Phrases | Year Released: 2018 | Record Label: OA2 Records
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