Pushing The World Away

KENNY GARRETT: Pushing the World Away
Mack Avenue, 2013

POSTBOP – Saxophonist Garrett delivers his best CD in years, strong and striding, merging dark pressure-cooker grooves with spirited melodies that recall far-flung corners of the world, a sharp-edged swing and a powerhouse band. Coltrane-inspired sax acrobatics and minor chords everywhere, some tunes are light, others weighty & meaningful.

Fo’s Picks: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12

1. 3:45 – uptempo rolling romp: sax & piano trade off
2. 6:05 – dark, lilting waltz with Spanish tinge, echoes of Coltrane’s “Olé”
3. 7:46 – midtempo latin jazz: warm, upbeat feel, deepens in the solos
4. 6:27 – rolling, upbeat, but urbane: cool piano solo, then sax elevates it
5. 4:55 – cute Caribbean groove with nice percussion, happy feel
6. 5:00 – cool chords & simple melody: piano power in middle, sneaky vocal
7. 4:30 – Burt Bacharach cheese rendered as mix of hymn, ballad, dirge
8. 9:12 – oh yeah: dark modal groove with soprano sax flight, bits of chant
9. 4:39 – simple, exotic ballad: quite pretty with wordless vocal accents
10. 5:48 – heartfelt after-hours ballad, no sax: gentle piano and strings(!)
11. 8:42 – uptempo dark burner: struggles as if trying to escape the earth
12. 5:26 – uptempo bounce: great twisty piano goes all out, hot drums

[ Fo ] - 29 September 2013