Sakura

VINNIE CUTRO / NYC SOUNDSCAPE: Sakura
Royal Music, 2008

MODERN JAZZ – Acid-toned trumpeter Cutro and friends brew up a heady post-bop mixture here. The five original tunes have great presence and demand attention, while the treatments of standards are fresh and incisive. This is a bold mainstream disc, and it's a winner.

* * * * | Fo’s Picks: 3, 4, 5, 7

1. 6:43 – dramatic intro, then churning groove; trumpet burns, good trombone
2. 7:19 – strolls with a heavy tread: sax chatters, trumpet arcs high
3. 7:07 – uptempo bop propulsion over standard chords, solos slice smoothly
4. 9:08 – bluesy standard: trumpet tosses & spins the melody… very cool
5. 8:02 – streetwise hard strut, 1970s feel: sax/trumpet clamber up a steep hill
6. 5:23 – classic tune, quick and funky but with a sarcastic/cynical edge
7. 8:36 – headlong groove: fine piano, agile sax, busy trumpet, happy drums
8. 8:58 – fresh approach to “Round Midnight”… it’s late, but nobody’s asleep
9. 5:31 – wide stride with a funky touch, horns pass it around
10. 7:03 – serious (but not somber) sound, tick-tock rhythm

[ Fo ] 02/08/09