Search - Peter Erskine :: The Hudson Project Live in New York City

A few strokes of brilliance

Julius Kusuma | Cambridge, MA, USA | 11/28/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The Hudson Project brings together 4 excellent musicians: Abercrombie on guitar, Erskine on drums, Mintzer on sax and Patitucci on bass. Reminiscent of the ECM recordings of the 80's, there are a few highlights on this recording: Abercrombie's "Little Swing", the legendary "Bass Desires" and the hip and rythmic "Modern Tuba". "Little Swing" is one example of Abercrombie's composition genius, with seemingly simple arrangements that belie the true mastery of changes underneath the melody. The Patitucci take on "Bass Desires" is also very good, and the recording ends with an original (I think) composition "Modern Tuba", showcasing the uncanny feel for rhytm and magic between the four players here.Unfortunately the other tracks are not very interesting: "Runferlife" is a straightforward swing, and "Cats + Kittens" reminiscent of John Abercrombie's solo recordings. But the three highlights are definitely worth the sticker price of this CD!"

Spunky, Slick, Lyrical Music

Stephen Silberman | SF, CA USA | 04/06/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was a little skeptical about this release. I've loved Abercrombie's playing for 20 years, but I feared this would be four slickmeisters riffing away for some corporate clinic. Wrong! It's lean, passionate, vital music -- with a professional sheen, sure, but this is real jazz. "Modern Day Tuba" is an ecstatic melody -- other players should cover it."

Enjoyable but Forgettable

Karl W. Nehring | Ostrander, OH USA | 07/18/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The Hudson Project comprises four well-known jazz musicians (John Abercrombie, guitar; Bob Mintzer, saxophone; John Patitucci, bass; and Peter Erskine, drums) who were brought together to play as a group as part of a clinic put together by a music-equipment company. Someone (my first suspect would be the sponsor) figured it would be a good idea to record the results and release them on CD: Voila!



Although my description of the genesis of this recording may have made the whole enterprise sound somehow cold and calculated, the end result is actually a reasonably pleasant recording. Although I might have preferred a trio setting for Abercrombie, Erskine, and Patitucci, the addition of Mintzer on saxophone is what probably gives this disk whatever popular appeal it might possess. The tunes are all originals by the band members, and for the most part they are pleasant jams that are easy to listen to.



None of the musicians seems to be stretching himself or pushing the others; indeed, the overall impression is of comfortable music-making that the live audience (mostly musicians themselves, one would presume from the circumstances) could relax and enjoy. The recording quality is clean and clear, making this an enjoyable release overall, if on the forgettable side in terms of sheer musical inspiration."