Behind the Lens

MUSIC
Friedlander’s foursome
possesses a remarkable
agility. The quartet’s updates
have oomph, but they keep
Pettiford’s tunes as spry as the
original recordings, which is
saying a lot. It almost seems
that the composer writes a
breezy demeanor into several
of the melodies. The word
“vivacious” is antiquated, to
be sure, but as “Cello Again”
and the title track spill forward,
it continuously pops into my
head.
The leader picks at the
strings on “Bohemia After Dark”
(a Pettiford classic and jazz
jewel), inviting counterpoint
from everyone around him.
He breaks out the bow on
“Oscalypso” and builds a web
that slowly woos the others to
its center. Last time out, the
rhythm section proved how
supple it could be. Now the
musicians sound even more
pliable and, also, wonderfully
precise. That makes Blake the
game-changer. Like Friedlander,
he’s fluent in several jazz lingos,
and here, the bop acuity he’s
been refining for years gets
wisely dispensed.
As the pair spends the
first few seconds of “Pendulum
At Falcon’s Lair” twirling around
each other, it’s easy to hear why
cello and tenor make for such
a confluent match (ditto on the
heartache of “Talampais Love
Song”). When the band comes
in, it’s like a West Coast cool
session has been catapulted
into the future—bohemia after
dark, indeed. —Jim Macnie
©Photo by by Angelo Merendino
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108 TONE AUDIO NO.75