Mark Whitfield [7th Ave Stroll]
This disc is getting lots of exposure in my Blog, [7th January 2010 / 9th November 2011 / 24th August 2012], it's my most favourite Guitar Jazz disc i have, initially i thought it was a bit low key, now i notice all the vibes going on by the quartet, in fact there are two separate quartets rotating throughout this disc, an older crew, and a younger, and it seems to be the mature guys that get to the heart of things here, rather than slowing down as they get older, they have a tendency to get more intense, they use silences to speak rather than just sounds, one note can speak a whole sentence, there's a deeper cleverness going on here, it's one of the best Jazz discs i've ever bought.
Mark Whifield is American, he's now 48, this was one of his albums from his middle period back in 1995, the photography throughout the whole booklet is excellent [by Kwaku Alston], the front cover shows Whitfield in New york i guess, at night, long exposure shot, black & white, yet the lettering is in red, i really like it.
Well the tracks i liked the most were 2-3, 7 & 9, and i would like to give a synopsis on the very best two of these, 7 & 9, they both have the same quartet, Tommy Flanagan = Piano / Dave Holland = Bass / Al Foster = Drums,
7 Sunday In New York [5:38] - Except this one misses Flanagan, it starts with Holland laying down a really grooving bass vibe, and Al Foster adds cymbals and a tic tok rhythm [0:08+], Whitfield plays over this drum and bass undercurrent [0:17+], and it quickly develops a real intensity, there's lots of swing in there too, you can hear Foster moaning in the background, Holland gets to solo, and Fosters work over him is really clever, love the way that Whitfield comes back in with the return of the tube [5:00+], what a trio!.
9 Sunset At Waterside [6:23] - This is my favourite track on the album, it's a simple tune really, played straight and easy, Whitfield comes in with the guitar from the offset, it's the most gorgeous tune, Foster lays the most superb groove to the thing, using brushes and sticks, his drumming is something to truly marvel, no robotic beat here, he goes all over the place in invention, constantly chopping and changing to suit the mood of the moment, one of the greatest Jazz Drummers ever, after playing the 'theme' [0:00-1:34], Whitfield starts playing variations, Flanagan then comes in to give his solo [3:07-3:57], he's no hundred notes a second Pianist, but rather very clever, i love the way at the start he plays a little phrase, and then lets the bass finish it off!, and when he comes back in it's a moment to treasure, it's almost a shame when he lets Holland do a solo, as i would have loved to hear more of his ideas, again it's a lovely moment when Whitfield comes back in with the opening theme [4:34+], a fantastic 6-7 minutes of Jazz.
You can listen to samples on the AllMusic website.
Mark Whifield is American, he's now 48, this was one of his albums from his middle period back in 1995, the photography throughout the whole booklet is excellent [by Kwaku Alston], the front cover shows Whitfield in New york i guess, at night, long exposure shot, black & white, yet the lettering is in red, i really like it.
Well the tracks i liked the most were 2-3, 7 & 9, and i would like to give a synopsis on the very best two of these, 7 & 9, they both have the same quartet, Tommy Flanagan = Piano / Dave Holland = Bass / Al Foster = Drums,
7 Sunday In New York [5:38] - Except this one misses Flanagan, it starts with Holland laying down a really grooving bass vibe, and Al Foster adds cymbals and a tic tok rhythm [0:08+], Whitfield plays over this drum and bass undercurrent [0:17+], and it quickly develops a real intensity, there's lots of swing in there too, you can hear Foster moaning in the background, Holland gets to solo, and Fosters work over him is really clever, love the way that Whitfield comes back in with the return of the tube [5:00+], what a trio!.
9 Sunset At Waterside [6:23] - This is my favourite track on the album, it's a simple tune really, played straight and easy, Whitfield comes in with the guitar from the offset, it's the most gorgeous tune, Foster lays the most superb groove to the thing, using brushes and sticks, his drumming is something to truly marvel, no robotic beat here, he goes all over the place in invention, constantly chopping and changing to suit the mood of the moment, one of the greatest Jazz Drummers ever, after playing the 'theme' [0:00-1:34], Whitfield starts playing variations, Flanagan then comes in to give his solo [3:07-3:57], he's no hundred notes a second Pianist, but rather very clever, i love the way at the start he plays a little phrase, and then lets the bass finish it off!, and when he comes back in it's a moment to treasure, it's almost a shame when he lets Holland do a solo, as i would have loved to hear more of his ideas, again it's a lovely moment when Whitfield comes back in with the opening theme [4:34+], a fantastic 6-7 minutes of Jazz.
You can listen to samples on the AllMusic website.
