Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Alain Bradette: State of Mind

251

Alain Bradette: State of Mind

Alain Bradette: State of Mind
Contemporary: here today; now. However, in today's speed-of-light-is-too-slow world, that word is reminiscent of quantum physicists who, when viewing particles at subatomic levels, see activity that has already taken place. Ephemeral. Passé. Bland in essence, it has immediate and short-lived appeal. Such is the state sometimes with music categorized as "contemporary."

While one might describe the efforts of saxophonist Alain Bradette and his musicians on State of Mind as contemporary, there are firm roots here in the solid foundation of great jazz tenor saxophone playing and marvelous small-group writing. You get both here in spades.

Bradette, originally from Montreal and now based with the Cirque du Soleil La Nouba orchestra at Disney World in Florida, leads a fine effort of just great jazz. The CD, although released in 2005, is a keepsake joy with gems popping up on each playing twirl.

Steeped heavily in the John Coltrane, Michael Brecker and Jan Garbarek traditions and with a sound and chops worthy of that company, Bradette's approach as a composer and soloist is focused, energetic and poetically elegant. He must have been carefully watching those fabulous performers in the Cirque because he is a tenor-gymnast at getting around the horn with marvelous fluidity and elegance. His ideas blend simple to complex with strands and slivers of emotional ebbs and flows. Just superb musicianship.

Take his muscular effort on "Sitting on the Edge," for example, a cooker that is downright Art Blakey- esque in its fire. Bradette brilliantly shows that he can also pull out the soul of a tune in his originals "Heartsong" and "Serina." The "misterioso" "Woman Across the Room" sends up a hauntingly poetic melodic base. Is she there? Where is she now? Grabbing at smoke, she's gone. Just great writing.

"Morning Rain" pelts droplets and displays Bradette's deep soprano sound. No commercial nasality on that horn here—just deep stuff. "21 Août" speaks likewise. The standard "My Secret Love" burns with a freer rhythmic and modal harmonic approach (excellent drumming by Gerald Myles). The ensemble (and their respective solo playing) of terrific trumpeters Jason Carder and Mike Iapichino along with trombonist Keith Oshiro fits and balances Bradette perfectly ("State of Mind"). Drummer Gerald Myles pushes and prods along with Chris Queenan's bass. Pianist Alex Clements' solos and comps are forthright and loaded with flair.

The production values are exceptional—a beautifully recorded and engineered effort. The absence of liners precludes the identification of soloists. Then again, the music speaks for itself.

While it might have been recorded five years ago, State of Mind is indeed a fine contemporary CD by a highly talented saxophone voice worthy of further exposure in the Center Ring. Drum roll and spotlight, please.

Track Listing

State of Mind; Promenade sur St-Denis; 21 Août; Sitting on the Edge; Heartsong; My Secret Love; Morning Rain; Serina; The Woman Across the Room.

Personnel

Alain Bradette
saxophone

Alain Bradette: tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone; Keith Koons: bass clarinet; Eddie Marshall: alto flute; Jason Carder: trumpet, flugelhorn; Mike Iapichino: trumpet (1); Keith Oshiro: trombone; Alex Clements: piano and Fender Rhodes; Bobby Koelble: acoustic guitar; Chris Queenan: acoustic bass; Gerald Myles: drums.

Album information

Title: State of Mind | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: Self Produced

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.