4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing maturity for a first release, February 26, 2007
This review is from: Deep in a Dream (Audio CD)
Where'd this guy come from? This is one of those cases where an artist bursts on the scene with almost a full-blown concept and chops to match.
The first thing one notices about this disc is the masterful command of the alto sax that Pedron has. Really, this guy plays every single note in this estimable session with conviction, authority, and absolutely perfect pitch. Concentrating on the midrange of his instrument, eschewing that pinched, slightly sour tone favored by most modernist alto players, and avoiding high-end histrionics, Pedron manages to carve out a sound distinctly his own. I'm racking my brain trying to figure out who he sounds like, and the only thing I can come up with is Stan Getz if he played alto, with maybe a little Joe Henderson and Barney Wilen also thrown in. There's that same absolute mastery of tone--feathery, yet substantial; effortless, yet authoritative--as well as a similar romantic-but-not-sentimental aesthetic. Really, I can't come up with any other alto player he sounds much like--except for, only occasionally, Bobby Watson and here and there Paul Desmond. Not bad company--Getz, Henderson, Wilen, Watson, and Desmond--even if three out of five play a different instrument.
Secondly, Pedron has that ineffable, to-the-manor-born ease of execution, effortless swing--without sounding the least bit dated: There's absolutely not a whiff of moldy-figish hard-bop or retro swing; just superb jazz. It's almost as if he could care less if he's a modernist or neo-classicist--that type of consideration isn't even on his horizon. Nay, his music, so solidly rooted in the whole of the jazz tradition, defies categorization, making it strangely timeless yet perfectly up-to-date. Of course, it helps to have two of the most accomplished, diverse, and authortative sidemen on board--Mulgrew Miller, piano, and Lewis Nash, drums (I'm not familiar with Thomas Bramerie on bass, but he more than holds his own)--but Pedron is obviously the commanding presence on this disc.
OK, I'm ranting a little bit. But I can't help it. Look. I've listened to so many jazz discs my head's spinning. But I can honestly say, this guy strikes me as The Next Big Thing. Do check him out.
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