Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » David Kikoski: The Maze
David Kikoski: The Maze
ByTwo Criss Cross discs have since followed. Inner Trust, a strong trio session released in 1997, featured drummer Leon Parker and another longtime Roy Haynes sideman, bassist Ed Howard. Now we have The Maze, Kikoski’s first quartet date and also his first all-original date. The lineup is promising, to say the least: Seamus Blake on tenor sax, Scott Colley on bass, Jeff "Tain" Watts on drums. Unfortunately, the playing is solid but surprisingly restrained. And Kikoski’s writing this time around is a tad conventional. His intentions, however, are somewhat grandiose: The six tracks that comprise The Maze are thematically linked as a suite with autobiographical overtones, each piece addressing a different aspect of personal and emotional change. The concept seems to have overwhelmed the music to some degree.
"Revival," the opener, is an eleven-bar minor blues taken at a medium post-bop burn. A tune like this could really raise the roof, but here it sounds like a perfunctory rundown. The players aren’t reaching. "Puddles of Memory" is an improvement, beginning with an arpeggiated triplet figure against a 5/4 funk backbeat and going through a series of unexpected twists in the B and C sections. "Strength for Change," on the other hand, is a rather bland ballad.
The program’s second half is stronger. "Disentanglement" is the best cut on the album; the colorful central riff draws upon the sound Kikoski began to develop on his 1995 disc. Still, he’s on auto pilot for much of his solo — but Blake, with Tain’s help, manages to shake things up. "Shame" is a mournful latin number with exceptionally strong solos by Kikoski, Blake, and Colley. "The Maze" closes the record with a swinging major-key modal theme. Kikoski brings out heavy artillery on the formless blowing section and comps wild and abstract yet perfect chords under Blake’s solo.
Overall, The Maze is not nearly as thrilling as Kikoski’s previous outings, all of which mingled his own compositions with brilliant readings of standards. His first wholly original program may have caused him to err on the side of caution. He sounds more reined in than usual, and so do his bandmates.
Cyberhome: www.crisscrossjazz.com
Track Listing
Revival, Puddles of Memory, Strength For Change, Disentanglement, Shame, The Maze (56:59)
Personnel
David Kikoski
pianoDavid Kikoski- piano, Seamus Blake- tenor saxophone, Scott Colley- bass, Jeff "Tain" Watts- drums
Album information
Title: The Maze | Year Released: 2000 | Record Label: Criss Cross
< Previous
Almost Blue: Chet Lives
Next >
Holiday Music '99
Comments
Tags
Concerts
Apr
30
Tue