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Alex Maksymiw: Without A Word
ByMaksymiw is the pacesetter with his understated atmospheric chord voicings and subliminal ostinato grooves shrewdly mixed just enough in the background to provide a liquescent trancelike underpinning via bop, ballads and a cross pollination of assorted jazz vernaculars. He weaves in and out of matters amid a few fiery breakouts. But Maksymiw's resonating notes and colorful portraitures often generate a wide-open forum for Strickland's brazen solo spots atop more than enough pop instilled by the fine rhythm section.
The guitarist launches "Interlude / Fast" with a simple and reflective theme, heightened by Strickland's soul-induced jazz choruses, shaded with drifting qualities and drummer Frank Parker's pulsating beats. Other pieces are engineered with complex post-bop nomenclatures and briskly executed bump and grind jaunts. Whereas, "Patient" could be mistaken for a piece lifted from the ECM Records catalogue, mainly due to Maksymiw's mystical balladry that seemingly treads upon sacred ground.
The program clocks in at LP length a little under 40- minutes. Of course this isn't a bad thing, especially when many artists regardless of genre feel obligated to max out the data capacity of CDs. Thus, Maksymiw prefers quality over quantity. He's a superb technician with vision and offers us modern jazz advocates a very timely breath of fresh air.
Track Listing
Flatbush & Lincoln; Without A Word; Interlude / Fast; Hand Shifts; Interlude / Slow; the Charmer; Patient; Flatbush & Lincoln / Alt.
Personnel
Alex Maksymiw: guitar; Marcus Strickland: tenor saxophone; Scott Kemp: bass; Frank Parker: drums.
Album information
Title: Without A Word | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: Challenge Records
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