Search - Fred Anderson :: Staying in the Game

Staying in the Game starts off with the 24-minute explosion Sunday Afternoon, with Fred Anderson weaving in and around the active rhythm section of Harrison Bankhead and Tim Daisy. The energy starts slow, and then builds to the fire for which Anderson is known. To highlight his melodic prowess in different contexts, The Elephant and the Bee duo piece finds Anderson playing off the low-end thunder and high scratches of Bankhead's bass. 60 Degrees in November shows the trio at full speed again, followed by a re-working of one of Anderson s tunes, Wandering, done here with a delicate thumb piano intro by Harrison Bankhead, who jumps to the cello for the second half of the song. Springing Winter is another duo, this time with Tim Daisy's drums bubbling up from beneath Anderson's sax. The album closer, Changes and Bodies and Tones, starts with a Daisy solo followed by a feverish high string bass idea, upon which Anderson drops a majestic blues melody. And they roll out on that vibe, a hot and thoughtful set recorded two days before Barack Obama's election victory.