Quiz

Mccabe, Alexander
Consolidated Artists
Jazz | Oct 2010

Reviews

Fo
Reviewed 2010-10-23
ALEXANDER McCABE: Quiz
Consolidated Artists, 2010

MODERN JAZZ – Here’s one of those discs that totally sneaks up on you and bonks you over the head. McCabe, and alto saxophonist, has an appealing tone and writes seemingly simple melodies. But these are just launching pads for some really sophisticated musical ideas, twisty playing and advanced harmonies that make these little ditties very interesting. And he has a great quartet that can back it up, maintaining McCabe’s oblique angles without losing the groove. Cool stuff.

Alexander McCabe : alto saxophone
Uri Caine : piano
Ugonna Okegwo : bass
Rudy Royston : drums

(Greg Hutchinson plays drums on 2 & 3)

Fo’s Picks: 1, 2, 4, 5

1. 5:18 – lilting tune alternates two meters; sounds light but sax is really tricky
2. 6:07 – upbeat bop-blues: propulsive drums; piano digs in, sax skews to left
3. 5:18 – odd, breezy & whimsical: sax flies wildly, then bass settles it down
4. 4:59 – perky tune out of left field: sax twists it up and lets go; piano glides
5. 12:02 – standard ballad, expanded outwards: first 4 mins are wide open, dramatic; then bossa nova swing, strong solos, back to beginning
6. 4:44 – hopscotch melody into noodly free-bop sax solo, quirky piano & bass
7. 8:23 – easygoing standard, played fairly straight but sax still breaks free

[ Fo ] 10/23/10

Recent airplay

Good Morning Heartache
TGI JazzDec 17, 2010
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Quiz
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slow burnersNov 26, 2010
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Charting

2010-10-24 — 2010-12-26 Jazz
Week EndingAirplays
Dec 19 2
Dec 5 2
Nov 28 1
Nov 14 1
Oct 31 2

Track listing

1. Weezie's Waltz
2. Lonnegan
3. Kalido
4. Quiz
5. Good Morning Heartache
6. St. Pat
7. How Little We Know