Does Brooklyn have an endless pool of talent?
John C. Graham | toronto, ontario Canada | 10/22/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This debut recording from Darius Jones is impressive, to say the least. He's a confident player who keeps a nice bit of tension in his playing. It keeps you alert and guessing. It's a hard sound with very musical lines that ebb and flow to a personal cadence. There are certainly elements of the blues heard within the music on this disc.
There is no point in taking each of the eight compositions apart for overindulgent analysis. The tempos range from slow and mournful ballad like to earnest and firey faster paced expressions of emotion. Mr. Jones alto is the dominant voice throughout and there is no question about its captivating qualities.
Rakalam Bob Moses' percussion is nicely understated here and blends well with Cooper-Moore's piano and diddley-bo playing to support Mr. Jones. Cooper-Moore shows tremendous pianistic abilities that serve to elevate the music, reminding the listener that this is a unit, not soloist with backing. His diddley-bo can sound like a throbbing bass with stretched and slackened strings. It's a group effort on this disc and it sounds remarkably keen, fresh, and alive.
There is a bonus 9th track: "Chaych" with Adam Lane on bass and Jason Nazary on drums with Darius Jones' alto recorded live at Roulette on Aug. 6, 2008.
The first 8 tracks were recorded at Systems Two Studio, Brooklyn on April 27, 2009.
Sound quality, production, and packaging are excellent.
This is a disc that should be heard by anyone interested in what's going on at the forefront of the avant garde. It is also a disc that is accessible and will appeal to the less hardcore fan. Outstanding debut."
Track Listings (8) - Disc #1