Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Gregory Tardy: Serendipity

Gregory Tardy: Serendipity

By Jim Santella
September 1, 1998
Sign in to view read count

Young lion Greg Tardy shares his enthusiasm and modern mainstream approach with support from pianist Mulgrew Miller, bassist Reginald Veal, and drummer Eric Harland. The tenor saxophonist leads his ensemble in a session of standards and originals, showing a preference for the excitement of hard bop rhythms and its inherent variety of brash harmonies.

Russell Gunn guests on "Blues to Professor Pickens" with a deeply rooted trumpet solo filled with earthy emotion. Tardy and Miller maintain an "old blues" mood. Pianist Aaron Goldberg guests on "JL's Wish" to open the delicate ballad, which Tardy wrote and uses for an opportunity to express himself in lyrical terms. Charged for the up-tempo pieces and somewhat cool for the ballads, Tardy captures the mood of hard bop's offspring. Monk's "Ask Me Now," performed with only saxophone and bass, reveals Tardy's lyrical approach to a melody. He fills and embellishes, never running out of ideas. That, perhaps, is the one area needing further emphasis – Tardy fills his solo spots with so many ideas that the clear focus at times seems to become clouded.

Trumpeter Tom Harrell guests on Tardy's ballad "The Fractar Question" which allows for pert solos from each of the like-minded horn players; not afraid to stretch, the saxophonist finds himself in good company for exploring the modern mainstream frontier. Recommended.

Personnel

Greg Tardy

saxophone

Album information

Title: Serendipity | Year Released: 1998 | Record Label: Impulse!

< Previous
The Complete Blue Note February 1957 ...

Next >
Savoring Every Note

Comments

About Greg Tardy

Instrument: Saxophone

Tags

For the Love of Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create 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.

You Can Help

To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve 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.