Search - Jack Walrath :: Journey Man

Journey, Man!, my review from Barcelona

Jose Maria Domenech Fedi | 06/12/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've heard the still young Jack in some records before this one and really I was impressed and this fascinating JOURNEY, MAN! has not been less, is one of the many impressive albums he provided in the 1990s, is pretty orthodox hard bop even he flirts with elements of freedom in some of this songs specially in the magnificient open track "Bouncin' With Ballholzka". You can find a kind of DREAM TEAM performing this good record a cast of players you'd expect to find on a hard bop date as are Kenny Drew Jr. (piano), Ray Drummond (bass), Bobby Watson (alto sax), Craig Handy (tenor and soprano sax) and Victor Lewis on drums in addition to assembling a quantity of great songs, the exuberant "Pete's Steps" which is based on Jonh Coltrane's "Giant Steps", the funky "Butt (Tails From The Backside)" in a Art Blakey's manner and the haunting ballad "When Love Has Gone(It Comes Out Like This) really fantastic and it can be told that it is an unpredictable very good record with all compositions composed by this five years MINGUS's bandmate JACK WALRATH. Recommended."