Saxophonist
Gary Thomas' records have been nothing if not provocative. This set, a collection of
jazz and
pop standards radically reharmonized and annotated rhythmically, is no exception.
Thomas assembles a stellar cast on this outing, including guitarist
Pat Metheny, pianist
Tim Murphy, alternating bassists
Anthony Cox and
Ed Howard, drummer
Terri Lyne Carrington, and percussionist
Steve Moss.
Thomas' methodology is one of tearing everything out but the tune's original melody and restructuring it from inside. As such, his own reed and woodwind playing and
Metheny's guitar in the front line are perfect foils for one another.
Metheny leaves his euphoria-driven approach in the wings this time and becomes an
impressionist, offering knotty counterpoint on
"The Best Thing for You" as
Carrington double- and triple-times the band, all the while pushing the syncopation into ever more angular directions. The ripping intro to
"Angel Eyes" sounds like an outtake from
Interstellar Space. When the band kicks it all the way in, it's a
hard bop sprint with a killer bass solo by
Cox. The beautiful acoustic guitar intro to
"Lush Life" whispers with
Thomas' tenor, as the saxophonist offers up one of his most breathtaking and profoundly lyrical performances ever put on tape. His flute playing on
Horace Silver's
"Peace," along with the rhythmic invention put forth by
Moss in the intro, throws the listener when the beat comes kicking back
Latin and
Thomas moves into high gear.
Metheny's comping on this cut, with its distortion, adds depth and edginess to the rhythm section. The set ends with a radically reworked
"You Don't Know What Love Is," where the harmonics of the tune get turned inside out and the rhythmic accents shift away form the backbeat time and time again.
Murphy's piano is all that holds the tune in place as
Thomas and
Metheny mutate and re-form it in their own image. This is
Thomas' best moment on record thus far, and a casebook example of reinterpreting the
jazz genre. ~ Thom Jurek