Incorrigible

One for All (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 13, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Jazz Legacy Prod
• ASIN: B0039TD7FY
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #138,821 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Incorrigible, May 10, 2011

By 

Dr. Christopher Coleman (HONG KONG) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Incorrigible (Audio CD)

One for All is a jazz sextet unlikely to be known to most audiences. Although Incorrigible is their 14th recording as a group, they've not made the sort of splash that, say, Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band has. Perhaps that is because they have no single outstanding front man. Their very strength is the egalitarianism of the group--all are fine performers and originally made their marks as sidemen for more well-known musicians such as Art Blakey, Lionel Hampton, Ray Charles, and many more. This experience gives them a depth to their playing that is all-too rare in today's more pop-oriented jazz. The New-York based group consists of a front line of trumpeter Jim Rotondi, tenor sax player Eric Alexander, and trombonist Steve Davis, with a rhythm section led by pianist David Hazeltine. Typically, drummer Joe Farnsworth and bassist John Webber hold down the beat without being featured like the more traditionally melodic instruments--bass and drums tend to be something most people don't notice unless they are bad--but they supply the necessary element to make the jazz really cook. The sextet is often described as playing "hard bop", a style of music that originated with the advanced harmonies and virtuosity of Charlie Parker and Miles Davis, but came to fruition with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, but One for All certainly play do more than just hard bop.

The rich sound of the trio of trumpet, tenor sax, and trombone is one I particularly enjoy, and One for All use it to great effect in their tunes. I particularly enjoyed the writing in trombonist Steve Davis' So Soon, and the eponymous Incorrigible by saxophonist Eric Alexander. The CD contains eight pieces, all but the first written by band members. Oddly, the recording starts with a cover or Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered, a tune that must be one of Alexander's favorites, as he's recorded it twice before, and what's particularly unusual is that they give it an interesting tempo shifting treatment that none of their other pieces benefit from.

Also worthy of note is the fine audio quality of this recording. Every cymbal crash is crystal clear, the balance is perfect--it's a real pleasure to hear. If I have any criticism at all, it is that One for All have made no real effort to move away from the standard jazz form. Every arrangement starts and ends with the tune, almost always played in harmony by the full trio; and the middle consists of as many solos as desired. There's no individual shape to any of these works other than the first piece, and little dynamic contrast throughout. I admit One for All isn't unique--basically EVERY jazz combo plays like this; but it's a shame that the innovations that Jelly Roll Morton made in the 1930s were so completely abandoned so soon. Maybe it's just that I'm a composer that I feel this way--certainly most jazzers don't. Anyway, its a minor criticism, and one that shouldn't much restrict your appreciation of these fine players.

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More great work..., January 2, 2011

By 

o m r (chicago, il) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Incorrigible (Audio CD)

If you like One For All the band, or any of these musicians individually, you will enjoy this... More great work from some of today's best jazz musicians.