Search - Hamiet Bluiett :: With Eyes Wide Open

With his expansive baritone sax sound and rugged attack, Bluiett invigorates several of the modern mainstream bases in this quartet outing. He can bounce around the big horn with aplomb, from the calypso-driven opening track to the heartfelt original ballad, "Song for Camille," moving in and out of changes and shifting readily from a sweet high register to resonant blasts at the bottom of his horn. Bluiett's a forceful musical personality, and he plays here with a broad romantic sweep and sinuous ease that are as apparent on fast tempos as slow. Guitarist Ed Cherry is an excellent foil, bringing a light, resilient touch to his solos and accompaniments and balancing Bluiett's sonic gravity. His barely amplified sound on "Monk and Wes" is an effective tribute to Montgomery. Along with the leader's originals, there are two compositions by the late Don Pullen, the moving "Sing Me a Song Everlasting" and the hard-driving "1529 Gun Street." Bassist Jaribu Shahid lays down a secure foundation, and drummer Nasheet Waits adds energizing polyrhythms to even the ballads. --Stuart Broomer