Customer Reviews

In the Moment

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Then suddenly it hit him! These collected, maybe even lost sounds come through Bob Mintzer's horn with a new direction, a new lilt, a new freedom. With harmonies that sound like they could have come from decades forward, Bob Mintzer, Jay Anderson, Phil Markowitz and John Riley take on such classics as Eddie Harris' "Listen Here," Styne & Cahn's "Time After Time," and six Mintzer originals with such amazing creativity that they will knock your socks off! Mintzer's fresh riffs and spontaneous interaction with his band mates' groove, proves that his stimulating solos build a good feeling that has become widely appreciated and unpredictable. Not since John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins laid their saxophonics on the jazz world has a tenor saxophonist become so poised to step forward and offer a quartet that features so much virtuosity and brilliant musicality as offered by these four. The music has lots of room for improvisation and conversation as indicated by the amazing fleetness of Markowitz on piano and the articulate plucking by Anderson on acoustic bass. These blowing sessions not only showcase Mintzer trading fours and swinging with drummer John Riley, find him revisiting the bass clarinet on "What's The Word". This CD is definitely IN THE MOMENT and should be in your jazz collection. Five stars! SOTJ top picks: "Straight Ahead" and the ballad "Forgiveness."

Sounds of Timeless Jazz Web Site

There seem to be two groups of listeners who gravitate to the music of saxophonist Bob Mintzer. One the one hand, he is one of the most prolific and esteemed Big Band leaders and arrangers in jazz history, a graduate himself of the famed Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra and a frequent nominee for big band Grammies. One the other hand, he is a 15-year veteran of the Grammy-winning, smooth/funk quartet, The Yellowjackets. It's not surprising, then, that Mintzer's name is not often connected with small ensemble, straight-ahead post bop material. Yet, it is this "third face" of Bob Mintzer that shines on his new quartet release, In the Moment (Art of Life Records), a recording that should readily expand the fan base of this eclectic tenorman.

Bob Mintzer can trace the development of his diverse talents to the time he spent listening to records, visiting jazz clubs, and playing clarinet and saxophone as a youth in New Rochelle, NY. Attending music school, he spent hours practicing, then moved on to composing, arranging, songwriting, jamming, "doing all the things that are involved in the learning process." His first big job forshadowed his work as a big band leader and arranger-playing Monday nights at the Village Vanguard in the Thad Jones and Mel Lewis Big Band. From 1978 he led his own big bands, melding traditional lyricism and swing with the more unpredictable character of modern music, and playing with such diverse artists as Jaco Pastorius, Louis Belleson, Art Blakey, Tito Puente, James Taylor, Aretha Franklin and the New York Philharmonic. He joined the Yellowjackets in the early 1990s, and his thirteen Grammy nominations are nearly equally distributed across big band and contemporary jazz categories. In the Moment fits into neither group but is no less a demonstration of Mintzer's chops as performer, arranger and composer.

As a modern mainstream recording, In the Moment has few surprises but many delights. Mintzer's first quartet recording in six years, the 7 originals and 2 covers are firmly rooted in the bop tradition, less dazzling as innovations than as demonstrations of virtuosity and collaboration. For partners Mintzer features his Big Band rhythm section, Phil Markowitz on piano, Jay Anderson on bass, and John Riley on drums, and their long-term association is reflected in their telepathic interplay as well as glowing solo turns. Dubbed "one of the most sensitive, lyrical and inventive piano players of all time" by early employer Chet Baker, Phil Markowitz is a regular compatriot of Dave Liebman as well as Bob Mintzer and a highly respected composer who provides many of the album's finest moments and the glorious closing tune, "Forgiveness." Bassist Jay Anderson may get more attention as a member of the Mintzer Big Band than for his decade anchoring the Lynne Arriale Trio, but his lyrical play with that ensemble is close at hand with the Mintzer Quartet. Former student of Joe Morello and Woody Herman alum, drummer John Riley has appeared with a Who's Who in jazz and is a member of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Unobstrusive throughout the recording, he nevertheless is always in the right place with the right time.

The two covers appear back to back on the second and third tracks. On Eddie Harris' "Listen Here," Mintzer's gruff vibrato sounds like two horns, especially in the higher register where a slight squeal gives it an edge. Markowitz lets his left hand hold down the fort while his right runs off to the nearest playground. "Time After Time" (Styne and Cahn) is a comfortable post bop journey through a classic tune, Markowitz' clear articulation and shifting forms keeping the interest high in the piano's interlude.

Mintzer penned six of the nine tracks. The opening tune is titled "Straight Ahead" but the melody takes a few twists and turns from the first verse, sax sailing over Anderson's brisk bassline and constant tingling from Riley's percussion; Anderson shines with his heavy-handed pizzicato solo. On "Aha," Mintzer's show of horn power, along with the harmonies woven by bass and piano, give the impression that the Big Band has come along for the ride. Even Riley seems to have grown a larger trapset. The aptly titled "Simple Song" starts out as a lovely ballad, the sax providing its own lyrics while Markowitz treads lightly and brightly over Anderson's bouncy bass; Mintzer provides more swing than sentiment on the final chorus. "What's the Word" has the swinging acrobatics of an old bop tune, suggesting a date with Charlie Parker. Here Mintzer plays bass clarinet, giving the tune a woody resonance.

On the danceable "Play Pretty," everyone does. The final chorus proves more interesting as Mintzer turns a few phrases inside out to see what will shake loose, pulling it back together before Riley's final tingle. Mintzer selects the perfect horn to carry the dark and whining melody of "Blues"--nothing speaks of a deep bottomed-out blues with more authority and sympathy than the bass clarinet. As he slides around the storyline, Markowitz wails his own blue theme, and Mintzer returns with more twists and turns, proving that the big horn has more flexibility than is typically demonstrated.

Markowitz introduces his "Forgiveness" with some hollow rumbles, with sheets of shimmer rising from Riley's cymbals. Mintzer takes the melody on a graceful ride, buoyed by Riley's rolling mallets and long decays. Piano and bass come to the foreground creating a majestic and dark tapestry while Riley continues to contrast deep rolls with high-pitched shimmers. Relative to the other tracks, this exquisite finale has a more 21st century shape, and Mintzer rises to the challenge with some of his most searching and penetrating lines of the set.

In the Moment-which aptly describes the collaborative zeal of this quartet-serves as a good reminder that, when he isn't blowing big band charts or smooth funk with the Yellowjackets, Bob Mintzer is a great straight-ahead tenorman. Good stories well told, even with familiar plots and themes, make for good ensemble efforts and, if not challenging to the ear, are nevertheless thoroughly engaging. In a sea of sax quartet releases, In the Moment rises well above the crowd.

Andrea Canter, Contributing Editor - Jazz Police

Yellowjacket saxman Bob Mintzer incorporates a well-known Eddie Harris tune into his latest side project, In the Moment. "Listen Here" is a highlight of this all-acoustic quartet affair, but unlike Bromberg's disc, this one is no paean to the soul jazz era. The opening track's title, "Straight Ahead," is probably an apt metaphor for the music herein, except that it's much more than a mere blowing session. And that's due primarily to Mintzer's compositional palette.

"Aha" has the unmistakable feel of the Jackets at their best (it first appeared on their Altered State CD) and "Play Pretty" would fit nicely into the band's oeuvre. "Simple Song" has an attractive melody and a sweet feel, and Mintzer breaks out his bass clarinet on "What's the Word" and "Blues," recalling Eric Dolphy in particular on the latter.

Mintzer's saxwork is stellar throughout, and he and his colleagues--bassist Jay Anderson, pianist Phil Markowitz and drummer John Riley--breathe new life into the well-worn "Time After Time" (the Julie Styne/Sammy Cahn standard, not the Cyndi Lauper hit). In the Moment has many fine moments. Recorded in one day, it is a relaxing, thoroughly enjoyable, beautifully produced and well crafted work.

copyright © 2007 Port Folio Weekly/Jim Newsom. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission.

Originally published 5/15/07.

Here's the Bob Mintzer disc you've been waiting for. Out on a break own from his stellar work with the Yellowjackets, and away from his big band commitments, Mintzer has put together a quartet release that spotlights his gorgeous tone and clever improvisations. Backed by a well sync'd rhythm section (from his big band) of Jay Anderson, Phil Markowitz and John Riley, Mintzer takes his tenor to task on Eddie Harris' finger snappin "Listen Here". Switching to bass clarinet on a couple of pieces, Mintzer blows down and dirty on "Blues", and switches to insouciance on "What's the Word", with it's Monk like rhythm work. Back to tenor on his original "Play Pretty", Mintzer and company make mainstream jazz flow like a spring river. Markowitz's "Forgiveness" is an ethereal treat in which the sympathetic band draws out some marvelous interplay and nuances. Persistently unheralded, Mintzer is a composer, arranger and musician that deserves more appreciation from fans looking for the next big thing.

George W. Harris - All About Jazz

As if his work with the Yellowjackets wasn't enough, ALL the Bob Mintzer quartet CD's are timeless jewels. I only wished there were more of them!

I remember remember reading a jazz magazine article on Pat Metheny a few years back, just before PMG's The Way Up came out. The writer, understandably full of praise, said something that stayed with me. I've long since thrown the magazine out and so I can't quote him but the gist of his position was that Metheny never wasted a note. Every single note he played had a purpose and was placed exactly where the guitarist wanted it to be.

I agree with that assessment totally and I also happen to feel that it could equally apply to Yellojacket frontman Bob Mintzer. I described Mintzer's saxophone playing in a review recently as "articulate". I think I chose that word because I always seem to be able to understand and follow whatever he plays. Where some saxophone players tend to go all over the place at a hundred miles an hour during their improvisations, losing me completely in what I can only assume is a desire to show just how adept they are (I call them intellectual players as opposed to emotional ones), no matter where Mintzer is on the scale, to my ears, it will always bear some relationship to the underlying melody and chord structure. I've always believed that that's what jazz improvisation was all about. Or maybe it's just that he intentionally keeps it simple so the likes of me can keep up. Either way, I believe Bob Mintzer's music comes from his heart. And it always touches mine.

He seems to have been busy recently and this is the first of a couple of new 2007 releases I've noticed. (Bop Boy, originally released in 2002 apparently, though I never heard of it, Source and Papa Lips are also out and sound real good from the clips I've heard). Mintzer is joined on this album by Jay Anderson on acoustic bass, Phil Markowitz on piano and John Riley on drums. Competent performances are delivered by one and all. Mintzer mostly plays tenor saxophone but plays baritone clarinet on one or two numbers ("What's The Word" & "Blues"). All in all it's a beautiful set of nine songs and the only one that sounds remotely Yellojacket-esque is, interestingly, the Eddie Harris tune "Listen Here". "Time After Time" is written by Styne & Cahn, and the heavenly closing ballad, "Forgiveness" is by Markowitz. All the other tunes are penned by the man himself.

If tenor sax is your thing, IMO, not many do it better these days than Bob Mintzer. I consider him a modern tenor great. I cannot recommend him (or this particular CD) highly enough.