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CD Critics
John McDonough John Corbett Jim Macnie Paul de Barros
Chick Corea/Stefano Bollani
Orvieto
★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★
Ron Carter
Great Big Band
★★★½ ★★★½ ★★★ ★★★★
Christian McBride
The Good Feeling
★★★★ ★★★ ★★★ ★★★
Pat Martino
Undeniable
★★★½ ★★★★ ★★★½ ★★
Critics’ Comments
Chick Corea/Stefano Bollani, Orvieto
A soft swirl of serious intent surrounds. But like a sandwich, the meat is in the middle. Spontaneity often
takes refuse in filler, camouflaged elegantly in portentous chords and wispy arpeggios. But when sustained
engagement strikes on “Leave You” and a few more, the lift is playfully palpable. —John McDonough
Can’t tell what I like more about the duo’s approach: the way they stress gracefulness or the carefree animation
of their approach. Both are applied in equal amounts on a delicious glide through “Jitterbug Waltz” that
zigs towards Art Tatum and zags towards Cecil Taylor.
—Jim Macnie
From rippling, impressionist free improvs to a spritely “Jitterbug Waltz,” Corea and Bollani are members of
a rare league: sparkling, mischievous colorist virtuosos who can turn on a dime while taking in the whole
landscape and never getting in each other’s way. It’s often difficult to tell one from the other, as both draw
exquisite timbres from the keyboard.
—Paul de Barros
Ron Carter, Great Big Band
Arranger/director Robert Freedman’s got a feel for tapping all the juicy potential of this straightforward big
band, ranging from lush passages where the full bore trombone section makes itself felt, to quirkier contrapuntal
devices like the intro to “Con Alma.” Carter’s got Miller and Nash in the engine room with him, which
assures quick pickup and a smooth ride.
—John Corbett
Elaborate yet approachable—there’s magic to the charts Bob Freedman came up with for this large ensemble
bash. To some degree it seems like the esteemed bassist is a sideman on a project under his name,
but who cares—the music’s whimsy equals its depth and the solos are a blast.
—Jim Macnie
Who knew Ron Carter has this cooking Brilliant writing with a contemporary edge, bristling solos, terrific
ensemble feel. Kudos for the cool range of composers, from Dizzy Gillespie and Sonny Stitt to Tom Harrell
and Gerry Mulligan, and props to arranger Robert Freedman. Nothing groundbreaking here, but sometimes
the ground—like Carter—is fine just the way it is.
—Paul de Barros
Christian McBride, The Good Feeling
McBride’s orchestrations cover a lot of good ground. “Shake” and “Hurry” swell into a couple of wildly
swinging, old-school dynamos. In between, he slides confidently from dry to quirky to plush. But it’s the
flame-throwing trumpet of Payton that makes the brass section burn and shakes the rafters in solo. Blake
and Schoenberg also shine.
—John McDonough
The parts I like the best here are all small group. They can be fantastic, unbelievably hot, like anything with
McBride under them should be. But even though the band is tight like that and stocked with big fish, and
though there’s a brassy, Basie-esque forthrightness to the concept, McBride’s arrangements don’t feel especially
distinctive.
—John Corbett
The bassist keeps his first stab at large ensemble charts on the simple side, and it brings the kind of pleasures
that are easy to enjoy. Swagger is everywhere, from horn flourishes to bass solos, and while I don’t find
the vocals compelling, they help the program set a nice pace.
—Jim Macnie
Pat Martino, Undeniable
This CD fires off with such a bang, the rest of it barely catches up. From his first notes, Martino’s rolling linearity
swings with a breathtaking power, precision and clarity. Alexander, Watts and Monaco take their cues.
The pace then dials down, and the group’s big moments are more shouted then swung. But Martino is worth
hearing.
—John McDonough
The guitarist sounds top-notch, slinging originals and a personal take on “’Round Midnight” live with a super
band. Martino and Alexander have a beautiful way of hitting the unison lines, and the saxophonist brings his
Coltrane-istic panache to bear on this updated soul jazz, which still has the tang of ’60s Prestige bands.
—John Corbett
Smokin’, funky, virtuoso organ-sax-guitar by some of my favorite musicians—saxophonist Eric Alexander, in
particular—but the recording quality of this live album is strictly underwatersville. —Paul de Barros
DECEMBER 2011 DOWNBEAT 81