Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Nick Rolfe: The Persuader

Nick Rolfe: The Persuader

By Reid Thompson
December 1, 2001
View read count

Bluejay Records is an inspirational company that was founded by Cecil Brooks III and Nat Simpkins several years ago and is based out of Manchester, MA. Its existence shows that plenty of initiative still exists in the jazz world, and that artists today are striving to maintain the integrity that comes from doing something independently. Their recording artists have netted high-profile musicians Steve Turre, Don Braden, Bryan Carrott, and Steve Wilson as sidemen and have generally shown to be solid leaders in their own right.

The Persuader is easily the most interesting, entertaining, and encouraging of the three recent Bluejay releases (Nat Simpkins' Crescent City and Mark Griffith's Drumatic being the other two). Eight of the twelve compositions are Rolfe's own, and while they wander at times, the tunes generally reveal a young talent at work. The gently dissonant (though it would be quite a stretch to labely any of this material avant-garde) writing is greatly complemented by Cecil Brooks III's busy drumwork and features some burning solos from the two seasoned veterans on the date, Steve Turre and Don Braden. Rolfe's playing recalls bits of Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, and even hints at Lonnie Liston Smith, but has a surprising amount of originality, especially on Alan Brandt's "That's All" (which he takes alone), and on a fiery take of "Caravan." While Rolfe clearly has a ways to go before becoming a major presence, The Persuader is an exciting debut from a clearly talented pianist who has the potential to join the ranks of the young lions that emerged in the '90's.

Track Listing

1. A Batch For Bo Nooty; 2. I've Never Been in Love Before; 3. The Persauder; 4. Maryann - Part I: Requiem; 5. Maryann - Part II: Celebration; 6. Along Came Betty; 7. Caravan; 8. In a Sentimental Mood; 9. Coca's New Paints; 10. Empty's Samba; 11. That's All; 12. Headrum's Blues.

Personnel

Nick Rolfe

keyboards

STEVE TURRE, trombone; DON BRADEN, soprano & tenor saxophones; BRUCE WILLIAMS, alto saxophone; NICK ROLFE, piano; RICHIE GOODS, bass; CECIL BROOKS III, drums.

Album information

Title: The Persuader | Year Released: 2001 | Record Label: Bluejay Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Joe Lovano's Flights of Fancy
< Previous

Ascension - New Dark Age Vol. 2
Next >

Support All About 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 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.