Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Mark Isaacs Resurgence Band: Tell It Like It Is

279

Mark Isaacs Resurgence Band: Tell It Like It Is

By

View read count
Mark Isaacs Resurgence Band: Tell It Like It Is
Australian pianist Mark Isaacs has been recording forward-thinking progressive jazz for the past 25 years. His new millennium recordings have garnered popular response, including Closer (Naxos, 2000), Keeping the Standards (Vorticity Music, 2003), Visions (Vorticity Music, 2006), and Resurgence (ABC, 2007). During the last decade, Isaacs has been approaching a new assertive sound that unifies the more scripted elements of adult contemporary jazz with the improvisatory elements of the music's first 100 years.

Tell It Like It is was recorded live the Sound Lounge in Sydney, Australia in August, 2008. Isaacs lead his quartet through eight original compositions of sharply honed modern jazz. "Minsk" opens the disc and is the collection's most provocative piece. Constructed over a simple descending piano figure, the deceptively modest piece provides Isaacs, soprano saxophonist Matt Keegan and guitarist James Muller acres of space in which to solo. "You Never Forget Love" is what the 20th Century ballad turned into when the clock struck 12:00 AM. Carefully paced and quiet, a duet between Isaacs and Muller dramatically evolves into a full ensemble piece featuring Keegan playing tenor.

The two-part suite, "Night Song," begins as a quiet nocturne with a lengthy melody that allows the song to develop, wave-like, into full realization. Isaacs is a master of writing pieces that are both emotionally complex and yet still orderly. Never does an Isaacs composition devolve into inane banging and clanging; this is music composed and performed for the listener, not at them. Wonderfully integrated, thoughtful and intelligent, Tell It Like It is continues Mark Isaacs musical journey, providing some of the best on the cutting edge of accessible jazz.

Track Listing

Minsk; You Never Forget Love; Homecoming; Night Song Part 1; Night Song Part 2; Angel; Tell It Like It Is; Between the Shores.

Personnel

Mark Isaacs: piano; James Muller: guitar; Matt Keegan: soprano and tenor saxophone; Brett Hirst: bass; Tim Firth: drums.

Album information

Title: Tell It Like It Is | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: ABC Jazz

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.