Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Jamie Baum Septet: Solace
Jamie Baum Septet: Solace
By Baum professes the beauty of morphing interesting compositions with memorable hooks and a multitude of hues and shades. At times, these pieces convey a little big band vibe, partly due to a string of interweaving exchanges and seamless shifts in cadence. Here, trumpeter Ralph Alessi, saxophonist Douglas Yates, pianist George Colligan and others mix it up quite effectively. With the four-part "Ives Suite," the ensemble integrates unusual harmonic components to parallel some of Ives' cutting-edge tonal frameworks. In effect, the suite is designed upon various movements that overlap and flourish via recurring sub-themes and stately horns choruses. Then, on "In Passing," Baum's dark and moody flute lines are lucidly counterbalanced by bassist Johannes Weidenmueller's soul-searching solo jaunt.
Overall, the music iterated throughout this endeavor contains a potpourri of jazz-centric passages, spanning brash soloing spots and expansive motifs that conjoin via a domino-like thread. Baum's musical journey offers the drama and intensity of a cinematic thriller or cliffhanger, which is sure to keep her audience at the edge of their seats.
Track Listing
Solace; Wheeler Of Fortune; Far Side; Ives Suite Part I: Time Traveler; Ives Suite Part II: Time Traveler; Ives Suite Part III: Questions Unanswered; Ives Suite Part IV: Answers Unquestioned; In Passing; Pine Creek; Dave's Idea.
Personnel
Jamie Baum
fluteJamie Baum: flute, alto flute; Ralph Alessi: trumpet, flugelhorn; Vincent Chancey: French horn; George Colligan: piano; Jeff Hirschfield: drums; Johannes Weidenmueller: bass; Douglas Yates: saxophone, bass clarinet; Shane Endsley: trumpet; Chris Komer: French horn; Kyoko Kitamura: voice.
Album information
Title: Solace | Year Released: 2008 | Record Label: Sunnyside Records