Musical Renewal
Frank Joseph | New York | 12/16/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"When Art Tatum, Bud Powell, and Thelonious Monk sat at their instruments, they did not attempt to play jazz. They strove to play the music closest to their hearts and their community, to render and interpret with as diverse a palette as possible. But out of their efforts came an idiom. It's fortunate that recently so many talents have again sought a mastery of this tradition; Languages only live if they are spoken (and there are some ideas that die with the death of a language). However, this admirable pursuit has its pitfalls. One of the greatest of these is that the imitation required for an understanding of the music's inner workings becomes an end in itself. We can spend a lifetime learning the rules, and never play the game. Every so often through grace and toil comes a person whose understanding of the idiom runs so broad and so deep that he or she stops trying to play jazz. Through a mastery of the language and its grammar and a deeply personal relationship to a past and present musical community, this artist finds his or her self at the original intention, the seed; To create with as diverse a palette as possible, to sound out and give form to what lies outside the limits of spoken language. This music is not governed by stylistic rules and conventions, but by an emotional neccessity. In this way the idiom is expanded and renewed.Mr. Hurt has also recorded with Russell Gunn, Antonio Hart, Sherman Irby and Frank Foster, to name a few. But no prior experience with his playing could prepare the listener for his debut as a leader on Blue Note records, "Dark Grooves-Mystical Rhythms." The twelve original compositions are all played live and acoustic. Funky odd-meter break beats give way to lilting Afro-Cuban influenced patterns and collective improvisation. From the pastoral polyrhythms and plaintive melody of "Jupiter" to the stark simplicity of the Upright Bass-Piano duo "Eleven Dreams" this is music of dynamic contrast and impeccable technique. Though many of the compositions are in time signatures generally unfamiliar to Western ears, they always move in circles and waves, but with a bounce that owes as much to hip hop as to jazz. A sense of space and lyricism pervades even at moments of intense harmonic density and experimentation. At times Hurt plays with a speed to rival Oscar Peterson (Or his fellow Memphis native Phineas Newborn) but there is always a sense of economy and focus to his playing. Even During the most intricately arranged sections, a sense of interactive play and risk taking emerge; In "Faith," The interlocked opening groove is reduced by each musician note by note like bricks pulled from a loosely mortared wall. One can sense the smiles in the studio as the musicians dare each other to pull one more. The exceptional core group (Francois Moutin on Bass, Ari Hoenig on drums, and Jacques Schwarz-Bart on tenor) is suplemented with appearances by Antonio Hart, Sherman Irby, Russell Gunn, Nasheet Waits, and Eric Revis, among many others."
James Hurt is an incredible talent. Music you can feel.
Frank Joseph | 10/26/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Every time I hear this CD something new stands out. This is not some groove album, although it could be used for that. The music is intelligently done. The range of styles James Hurt plays seamlessly on this CD just blew me away. He is definitely not afraid to fly. Most of the songs begin with the rhythm, so you may not understand the ebb and flow of the songs from hearing the 30 second clips. However, if you appreciate music that takes you on a journey, you will probably love this CD. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have."
Radio Encounter
K. J. Crews | Philadelphia | 03/27/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I remember I was a junior in a college when I encountered this album. It was during a late night study session in my dining room. My little CD/Radio boombox tuned into NPR. It was a Sunday night and a jazz program featuring this new artist James Hurt was on. I have to say that was one of the most magical and spontaneously inspired study sessions I had. I was reading Phenomenology of Perception, no less.
I decided to write a review (even though I've had it for 7 years) after rearranging my music collection and seeing this gem. It brought back many fond memories of my budding tastes for eclectic sounds and music.
The ingenuity of this album is in Hurt's ability to play with and push the boundaries of rhythm. His skills as a pianist are impressively intoxicating. I recommend this album to jazz novices and deeply grounded aficionados alike. If you are new to jazz, this album might be a bit of an overwhelming taste. For example, I bought Coltrane's Meditations before a lot of his earlier work and was a bit jarred. Not to say that this album would do that. I think it is relatively accessible to many tastes. Just an observation and opinion on my part. More seasoned jazzheads will enjoy this and will be attuned to the nice little nuances of tempo. All in all, it adds a refreshing sound to any collection."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1