Customer Reviews

Spirit Song

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm afraid I must differ with the earlier reviews. Spirit Song is a first rate effort by a veteran jazz musician keeping up with the times while bringing quality composition and musicianship along. Barron has purposely updated and diversified the styles, structures and tempos of the songs on this release, and since it is done with ability and taste, the results are pleasing to the ear as well as to the heart. The musicians who include veterans Eddie Henderson (trumpet), Rufus Reid (bass) and Billy Hart (drums), and young lions David Sanchez (tenor)and Russell Malone (guitar), play well individually and meld well together. Even Regina Carter's jazz violin voice is fitted tastefully and pleasantly within Barron's approach and arrangements. Spirit Song brings the quality and workmanship of a jazz master to the aural expectations of today's audience, and succeeds in doing so.

Nothing went wrong on this album. It's an inventive and engaging recording by one of the greatest living jazz pianists, accompanied by a host of great players (like Rufus Reid on bass and Billy Hart on Drums). The styles of the compositions are more varied than one finds on most jazz albums, and the instrumentation also varies from tune to tune (including violin on a couple of tracks), but I find it to be of consistently high quality. I am especially fond of the title track, "The Pelican." This was the album that first got me interested in Kenny Barron, and led me to explore his earlier work, and I am very happy that I did.

What went wrong here? The musicians are excellent: Russell Malone, Billy Hart, and Barron himself. But it's all so derivative and dull. At times, the group wants to sound like Horace Silver. And then it's Ellington. And then it's Miles. Ultimately, nothing comes off. As for jazz violin, well, it's almost bearable. A bummer.

I like Kenny Barron, and I really wanted to like this CD. I don't like this CD. It truly is an uncomfortable listening experience. The problem seems to be that the compositions are trying very hard to be interesting and they don't flow well. They are bebop tunes disguised as progressive jazz. If you listen enough to it you can hear the tunes reaching to be something that they never achieve. The players are great, but I really turn off to the two cuts with Regina Carter. Violin is something to me that doesn't fit in this context. It's like putting an accordian in the mix of Bitches Brew. It just doesn't go, you know? Also the tunes, and I call them tunes, have no relation to each other. All types of different styles. This is jazz that is very easy to follow, but really something to stay away from. This is really poorly written material. I'm trying to be nice.