The Master On a Roll ! ! !
Eddie Landsberg | Tokyo, Japan | 03/22/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Its not so uncommon to hear Jazz legends of Spaulding's stature (and historical lineage) sounding a bit out of place when they try to do (or redo) their thing in the new millenium... afterall, that was then, this was now. Not true with Spaulding... James Spaulding is neither stuck in the past nor a slave of the dictates of the future. All in all he is a deep and soulful hard bop master, who has a lot to say everytime he picks up that alto or flute of his. - - When Spaulding plays, you listen, and you never exactly know what you're in for... He can be profound, earthy and melodic at times, or wildly outside, experimental yet visciously swinging and often all of this in the course of a breath, yet he always lands on the right note !Escapades shows the master in Rudy Van Gelder's studio with Kenny Washington, Don Sicker, John Hicks and Ray Drummond tackling a great choice of tunes, including three Mobley pieces and some Grant Green. - - Like many of the classic Hard Bop sessions of the '60s, not only does the star shine, but the ensemble works great together. Don Sickler in particular, proves himself not only to be a great soloist, but a wonderful accompaniest who's lines brilliantly compliment Spaulding's rich melodies, especially in the opening track "Escapade". There is one other great thing about this CD I should mention - - its clear to anyone who's heard his other recent albums that he's on a roll, and clearly ESCAPADE is proof that he's not letting up. - - Last month, for example, I had James on my "Remembering Eddie Jefferson" session, and there were a few tricky tunes which we wound up doing a retake or two on... each time it lead to a major crisis as everyone (from the people in the mixing room to the musicians) didn't want to lose his solo... but the next time we'd cut, he'd even lay something heavier. - - This is one cat who has the music in him, and ESCAPADE has afforded him an ingenuine vehicle for getting it out !"