At The End Of The Day

AGRAZING MAZE – “At the End of the Day”
Foxhaven, 2006

Progressive jazz with a playful air, walking (and frequntly jumping) the line between straight modern bop and a more experimental feel. Pianist Enrique Haneine blends a Latin sense with introspective and skewed approaches; trumpeter Shane Endsley strolls all over the rhythm, bassist Carlo DeRosa is solid and inventive, and rising star Allison Miller provides a rich, active carpet throughout. Nothing leaps out and says “play me,” but it’s all worth hearing.

Fo’s Picks: “in” – 6, 3 “out” – 4, 7, 9 good balance – 1, 8

1. 9:00 – staggering intro, then funky walk with slinky/sour trumpet, scattery piano
2. 9:37 – subdued atmosphere: trumpet ruminations, odd piano spirals, quick bass
3. 5:48 – cute stop/start version of bebop classic, with heavy latin-jazz inspiration
4. 8:51 – upbeat stroll turns abstract, becomes quiet, strident, waltzy, thumping
5. 7:00 – slightly off-center ballad: piano winds & unreels, bass wanders & digs
6. 7:48 – fast modern-bop: piano scrambles & crashes, bass in melodic clusters
7. 5:26 – unrecognizable Shorter/Miles cover, played free
8. 9:00 – uptempo nocturnal walk with squawking trumpet, flowing piano
9. 9:47 – slow, abstract, creaky atmospherics, each player takes a melodic turn

[Fo] - 4/28/06