JANE IRA BLOOM: Wingwalker
Outline, 2011

MODERN JAZZ – Soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom is a marvelous composer. Each piece on this CD is like a short story: cerebral, carefully structured, perfectly self-contained. Bloom’s mercurial style demolishes the clichés of her instrument (you know… syrupy smoothness or piercing harshness), her use of live electronics adds a kind of futuristic self-counterpoint to several tracks, and her quartet is playful and spot-on.

Jane Ira Bloom : soprano sax, electronics
Dawn Clement : piano
Mark Helias : bass
Bobby Previte : drums

All interesting. Fo’s Picks: 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 11

1. 4:15 – slow, stirring theme: sax soars & swoops like a kite over piano pillars
2. 5:39 – struts forward, then rolls: cool drum work, tricky breaks, subtle electronics
3. 5:39 – slow ballad: expressive sax, quartet is very open and spare
4. 6:33 – friendly, loping, but oddball twists hang in mid-air; fast groove at the end
5. 3:26 – quick, furtive sax runs; rhythm slips into a snappy walk, lots of electronics
6. 6:36 – sax/piano roam together, then sax weaves thru a steady, pulsing rhythm
7. 5:22 – piano/bass/drums in conflicting rhythmic patterns, sax keeps cool
8. 4:49 – piano/sax intro, switches to warm but angular swinging stroll
9. 3:52 – lowdown ballad, very gentle and lyrical but with an oddly sticky flow
10. 4:01 – chugging groove: sax & piano solos jab lightly at it
11. 4:17 – relaxed, meandering melody: sax pulls skyward, piano more grounded
12. 3:06 – standard: solo sax makes it very slow and melancholy

[ Fo ] 03/12/11