Great straight ahead session from Arturo.
JetTone12 | USA | 10/20/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album is a new direction for Arturo, mainly because he is more restrained here and also plays no latin rhythms (this might be the only album of his where he does that). Instead, he pays tribute to bop trumpeters such as Woody Shaw and Freddie Hubbard with the help of tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker, guitarist Mike Stern, bassist John Pattitucci and others. He has an energetic rendition of Shaw's "Moontrane", where he solos very effectively in the hard bop style. They also do a great job with Coltrane's classic "Moment's Notice" and an insane tune by Arturo that won a Grammy called "Real McBop". This song is such a speedy melody it will make your head spin! Also, they humorously quote "Salt Peanuts" at the beginning. Great tune. Arturo uses his plunger mute skills on "It Never Gets Old" (perhaps a salute to Clark Terry), plays piano on the exotically haunting "Streets Of Desire" and gets a little abstract with some interesting soloing on "Weird Fun" and expresses his love and knowledge for Dizzy's style on "Dizzy Atmosphere". However, the highlight of this album is without a doubt in my opinion his duet with Clark Terry on "Mack The Knife" (one of my favorite tunes to begin with). They both trade back and forth on this warm, fun rendition. It's great. Overall this is a great album for straight ahead jazz or Arturo fans. Arturo does for the most part avoid screaming (except a couple parts in "It Never Gets Old" and a couple other songs). This just shows Arturo's versatility and creativity in the jazz idiom. The liner notes are also a gift because of the stories Arturo tells about his meetings with Woody Shaw and Dizzy, and also because they're extremely well written. Great disc."
Well playd!
J. Lindberg | 09/02/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The reason that i rated this 4 stars is that i love high notes and screaming! This is not a high note record but its still great! It reminds me a lot of his record from 92"I remember Clifford"!Its a lot of standard songs here like;Moontrane,Mack the knife,A moments notice and Dizzys atmosphere!He also play some of his own songs here! the record is really great for jazz fans but not for high note lovers!"
Uninspired
L. Powers | Kansas City, MO | 06/03/2005
(2 out of 5 stars)
"The musicians are great, but this album is really flat. Ironically, this music just doesn't swing. The solos are technically good, but the solo melodies are not particularly interesting. I found myself skipping to the next song on the album after the head. Fast and high just is not enough. There are many other much better bebop artists and albums out there. Look for something better."