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Eric Revis: Sing Me Some Cry
ByA prime reason for the band's success is how well Vandermark and Davis connect. The saxophonist trades on a winning mix of R&B-inspired riffs and expressive textures which mesh well with Davis' penchant for sturdily reiterated figures. Add Revis' sprung rhythms and Taylor's ability to create a compelling thrust from unusual components and the excitement when they zero in on a staggered beat is hard to match. Vandermark's barnstorming "Good Company" provides only the first evidence on the disc, as well as a terrific jaunt for Davis. Her sinewy chattering runs locks into slowly mutating phrases which flow onwards in fits and starts until exploding in a scatter of keys.
Other high energy pieces include the leader's whirlwind "Pt 44" and Davis' tremendous "Rye Eclipse" which culminates in a visceral charge with Vandermark's tenor saxophone screaming over a pounding throb. Their rendition of Adam Rogers' turbo funked "Rumples," while taken slightly slower than the original nonetheless gives the convoluted melody an effervescent airing.
There's more introspective fare too which allows the pulse to settle. On "Solstice....The Girls (For Max & Xixi)" Vandermark's clarinet coolly saunters over a tapestry woven from repeated pizzicato, conversational toms and a koto-like line from prepared piano, while on the title cut the bassist's soliloquy straddles an open abstract collective, supplemented by drifting electronically modulated voices.
The only slight misstep comes in the episodic ballad "Glyph" with the jarring fade-in of scratchy sax and piano dialogue under Revis' reflective solo, but that's a small blemish on an otherwise beaming visage. In fact it's one of Revis' finest since the aforementioned City Of Asylum.
Track Listing
Sing Me Some Cry; Good Company; Pt 44; Solstice....The Girls (For Max & Xixi); Obliogo; Rye Eclipse; Rumples; Drunkard’s Lullaby; Glyph.
Personnel
Eric Revis
bassEric Revis: bass; Ken Vandermark: tenor saxophone, clarinet; Kris Davis: piano; Chad Taylor: drums.
Album information
Title: Sing Me Some Cry | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Clean Feed