Search - Vincent Herring :: Don't Let It Go

Pure class

Bruce J. Morton | Rochester, NY United States | 01/02/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've been a serious music fan for 25 years. One of the great pleasures of my life is uncovering new musical gems. That's the kind of thrill I've gotten from discovering Don't Let It Go. As a relative newcomer to jazz, I'm no expert - I just feel my way around and trust my instincts. The vast majority of the jazz discs I like are old classics (Kind of Blue, Saxophone Colossus, Bags Groove, etc.). Other than Branford Marsalis, I haven't heard any of the next generation players that I thought were worthy of mention with those...until now. I can't say enough about this disc - cool, but with plenty of fire, restrained yet playful, reminiscent of the masters without sounding cliched. To my untrained ear, this record sounds like Brubeck mixed with a healthy dose of Cannonball and Trane. In any case, it's an accomplished work from a self-assured group of musicians. Herring and his crew play off each other with effortless grace, and sound like they're having fun doing it. No grandstanding blowing session here, this is a mature BAND just making good music together. Herring, pianist Cyrus Chestnut, trumpeter Scott Wendholt, bassist Jesse Yusef Murphy and drummer Carl Allen constantly feed each other ideas, and never forget about the melody. Benny Golson's liner notes describe Herring as a humble man who gives unhesitating credit to his bandmates, and that simpatico shines through clearly. I docked this a star mainly because I'm not a huge fan of soprano sax, but that's just personal taste (and only shows up on two tracks). Herring also induces grit by using a sort of growl to tear some of the high notes. I don't find this technique terribly appealing, but he uses it sparingly. I highly recommend this disc, and also Revelation, a wonderful recording of Cyrus Chestnut's powerhouse piano trio. I don't know what Wendholt has done since, but I'll be on the lookout for more from him, as well."