Search - Roswell Rudd :: Flexible Flyer

Overlooked, but not forgotten

06/17/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The timbre of the trombone reaches out across the silence like a weary, battered foghorn. Three sustained, low blasts echo forth, seeking proper bearing. The immaculate voice of Sheila Jordon flares suddenly and brilliantly, falling into intimate commune with the skillful trombone playing of Roswell Rudd. These wondrous, sublime opening moments in Rudd's definitive interpretation of Michel LeGrand's 'What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life', merely hint at the power and the grace which follow on the rest of Flexible Flyer. Originally released in 1975, Flexible Flyer showcases Rudd's enormous talents both as a trombonist and a composer. Having played with such jazz greats as Archie Shepp, Oscar Pettiford, Don Cherry and Cecil Taylor, Rudd nonetheless failed to garner the public notoriety of his contemporaries, instead gathering much acclaim as a "musician's musician". With the re-release of this lost gem, Roswell Rudd is likely to finally get his due."