One Is The Other

BILLY HART QUARTET: One Is the Other
ECM, 2014

MODERN JAZZ – Third release by this outstanding quartet led by veteran drummer Hart, with Mark Turner (of Fly) on tenor sax, Ethan Iverson (of The Bad Plus) on piano, and Ben Street on bass. That’s a heavy, cerebral lineup. But the music here, while challenging, is still quite approachable and feels very fluid and natural. It’s a fine disc.

Fo’s Picks: 1, 2, 3, 6, 8

1. 6:51 – dark, knotty piano intro & shadow play with sax; soars and swoops
2. 5:51 – sparse drums set up a slouching, moody ballad, drifting to abstract
3. 7:21 – speedy pulse and knit-brow piano at first; becomes lighter & soulful
4. 8:06 – complex piano/drum geometry, mournful sax tugs against inward pull
5. 5:08 – hard rhythmic theme loosens up to a sort of groove, lumpy solos
6. 8:43 – slow, careful walk with a tender, soulful core; piano is briefly abstract
7. 5:19 – standard ballad creeps through dreamland, some classical touches
8. 4:15 – busy drums underlie a stripped-down boppish inversion

[ Fo ] - 12 June 2014