Somewhat of a letdown
Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 12/04/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Several things bother me about this disc, for which I initially had high expectations. We will get to them in the course of this review.Things open strongly enough with "Eight," an uptempo boppish number, one of two quite attractive Carter compositions, the other being "El Rompe Cabeza." The contrast between Carter's lead piccolo bass and the four cellos, providing imaginative fills and comping, is quite attractive. And Stephen Scott's piano solo zings along in a spritely manner. With a distinct Villa-Lobos vibe, "Eight" is probably the strongest cut on the disc. Carter's pizzicato double stopping makes a nice bridge. "El Rompe Cabeza," a faux classical number with a tango-like feel, also shines. Part of it is that the other players have a more prominent role: Steve Kroon's attractive percussion, esp., comes to the fore here. And Carter generally employs arco playing, which seems more suited to his instrument.I wish I could be as enthusiastic about the other numbers, but they just seem to lack the impact of "Eight" and "El Rompe Cabeza." For one thing, not all styles are equally suited to this approach: lead piccolo bass just doesn't seem to have the necessary gravitas for the blues ("Blues for Bradley"). Also, by the third or fourth number the sonority of Carter's instrument begins to irritate. A prettified and bathetic "Song for You," the Leon Russell classic, is the low point. Trying to inject some kind--any kind--of interest, Carter plays an embarrassing ersatz solo, dripping with bent strings and fake emotion.Another irritating thing about this disc is that, although it is a reissue, there is no indication of this on the outer packaging: For all intents and purposes, it appears to have been recorded and produced in 2003, the copyright and production symbols both bearing that date. It is only on the inside credits that one notes it was actually recorded in 1990. One supposes that since this is the first American release, Dreyfus can get away with this misleading recording information. All in all, a disappointment, despite a couple of attractive numbers. 3 and 1/2 stars."
Amazing mixture of sounds
Jan P. Dennis | 04/29/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"One might anticipate that such a strings-heavy nonet would overwhelm the music, but, in Ron Carter's hands, the music which flows from this nonet is unbelievable. Ron Carter is a genius at finding new sounds, and this CD shows off his talents.Highlights include "El Rompe Cabeza", featuring a great Carter solo, and "Eight", which is a reworking of John Coltrane's "Impressions." The only slight criticism of this collection is that it is from 1990 (only released in the USA in 2003) and does not feature some of the pieces currently played by the nonet."
Track Listings (8) - Disc #1