Transitions (Criss Cross Jazz)
David Gilmore
Released February 15, 2017
DownBeat Four-and-a-Half-Star Review
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/browse/MPREb_tGLYCNVjFkE
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/2FVF1fmetRJdkR0kq4kdze?si=397b7GgGSb2t8zfg2yvrFA
About:
On his Criss Cross leader debut, Transitions, guitarist David Gilmore pays tribute to recently deceased masters Bobby Hutcherson, Toots Thielemans and Victor Bailey, the legendary trumpeter Woody Shaw, and living elders Annette Peacock and Hermeto Pascoal, by interpreting their music along with two original compositions.
Joined by a top-shelf New York quartet comprising tenor saxophonist Mark Shim, pianist Victor Gould, bassist Carlo DeRosa and drummer E.J. Strickland (vibraphonist Bill Ware plays on Hutcherson’s “Farallone”; harmonicist Gregoire Maret plays on Thieleman’s “Bluesette”), Gilmore navigates both the acoustic and plugged-in spaces with equal fluency, showcasing his lovely sound, improvisational prowess and focused intention within an array of stylistic formats. A glimpse at Gilmore’s distinguished discography (it includes four prior leader records, and consequential sideman stints with — to name a short list — Steve Coleman, Wayne Shorter, and Meshell Ndegeocello, as well as more recent Criss Cross dates with Donald Edwards [Criss 1365 ; Criss 1386] and Boris Kozlov [Criss 1389]), gives a sense of the breadth and accomplishment of this bracing recital.
Track Listing:
1. End Of Daze (David Gilmore) 6:28
2. Beyond All Limits (Woody Shaw) 5:31
3. Blues Mind Matter (Bobby Hutcherson) 7:06
4. Bluesette (Toots Thielemans) 5:57
5. Both (Annette Peacock) 5:05
6. Spontanuity (David Gilmore) 6:32
7. Kid Logic (Victor Bailey) 5:37
8. Farralone (Bobby Hutcherson) 9:13
9. Nem Un Talvez (Hermeto Pascoal) 4:36
Personnel:
David Gilmore: guitar
Mark Shim: tenor saxophone
Victor Gould: piano
Carlo DeRosa: bass
E.J. Stickland: drums
Grégoire Maret: harmonica (4)
Bill Ware: vibraphone (8)
Recorded September 19, 2016, at Systems Two Recording Studios, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Produced by Gerry Teekens
Recording Engineer: Joe Marciano
Mixing and Mastering: Michael Marciano
Photography: Jimmy Katz
Cover Design: Gerry Teekens/Bloemendaal in Vorm
Review:
The veteran guitarist, whose penchant for crisply executed, intricate stop-time lines has served him well in the bands of Wayne Shorter, Don Byron, Greg Osby, Steve Coleman and the experimental fusion collective Lost Tribe, brings that same deft quality to bear on his Criss Cross debut. On a pair of originals and similarly demanding heads by Woody Shaw (“Beyond All Limits”), Bobby Hutcherson (“Blues Mind Matter”) and Victor Bailey (“Kid Logic”), the guitarist is joined on some impeccably tight unisons by tenor saxophonist Mark Shim, who blows with muscular authority. Vibraphonist Bill Ware joins the interactive fray on another Hutcherson tune, the metrically shifting “Farralone,” which morphs from medium-tempo swing to a dense 3/4 conversation between guitar, saxophone and vibes. Harmonica ace Grégoire Maret guests on a reinvention of Toots Thielemans’ classic “Bluesette,” which is set in 4/4 instead of 3/4 time. Gilmore and Maret engage in some spirited exchanges at the end of this jazz standard. The core quintet of Gilmore, Shim, esteemed young pianist Victor Gould (who shines on “Blues Mind Matter”) and the stellar rhythm tandem of bassist Carlo DeRosa and drummer E.J. Strickland explore the rubato space of Annette Peacock’s 1965 composition “Both.” And they deliver a lovely treatment of Hermeto Pascoal’s achingly beautiful “Nem Un Talvez,” with the leader caressing each note on acoustic guitar. For someone with such blazing chops on the instrument, Gilmore’s restraint on that haunting melody is positively Zen-like. It’s just one of the many colors he conjures up on this superb outing.
Bill Milkowski (DownBeat)
