My review of Joe Locke's Wish Upon a Star, a collaboration with Lincoln, Nebraska's Symphony Orchestra, today at All About Jazz.
Meetings between jazz ensembles and orchestra run the risk of turning the sweet into the saccharine, the dramatic into the melodramatic, but there's no risk of that with vibraphonist Locke, whose melodic disposition has been a constant undercurrent throughout his career, even when he's ripping it up and demonstrating why he's quite possibly the most important mallet-slinger of his generation. With arrangements by quartet-mate/pianist Ryan Cohan and Storms/Nocturnes Trio collaborator/reed player Tim Garland, Wish Upon a Star's charts are deep, and Locke's quartet - fleshed out with bassist Lorin Cohen and drummer Carmen Intorre - proves as capable of fiery swing as it does more textural fare.
Since signing with Motéma Records, Locke has finally hooked up with a label capable of spreading the word and building on his already strong but nowhere near sufficiently broad reputation. With his blues & ballads record coming later this year the triptych of that record, last year's Signings, with The Joe Locke / Geoffrey Keezer Group, and now Wish Upon a Star, define, in a relative short period, the breadth and depth of Locke's musical interests - though those who know him were already fully aware.
Review here. You can also download an entire track, "Available in Blue," as today's AAJ Download of the day.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by mogrooves
Bookmarks