Steve Turre: Sanyas

Rating: ★★★

Record and Artist Details

Musicians:

Buster Williams (b)
Nicholas Payton (t)
Lenny White (d)
Ron Blake (ts)
Steve Turre (tb, shells)
Isaiah J Thompson (p)

Label:

Smoke Sessions Records

July/2024

Media Format:

CD, DL

Catalogue Number:

SSR-2404

RecordDate:

Rec. date not stated

Recorded live as part of the Smoke Jazz Club’s 25th Anniversary Season, Turre’s band open his title piece with some semi-free collective chuntering, the effect much like an orchestral tune-up. This is followed by a lengthy bass interlude before an ensemble passage of startling ordinariness, the compositional quality akin to a first-year practice piece.

Turre solos over a repetitive piano and drums figure, Blake plays at length, gradually coarsening his attack, Turre adds his shells, the sound quite louche. The audience liked it; it seemed tedious to me. ‘All The Things You Are’ is taken staccato, White hindering rather than helping, Turre’s solo, jagged and abrupt, with no reference to the theme, Payton disinterested while Thompson searches for a connection, the band looking for lift-off.

Turre’s ‘Wishful Thinking’, features its composer handling the theme, Payton partnering him as Thompson shows his blues side. Lee Morgan’s ‘Mr Kenyatta’ is more relaxed, Williams’ perfect bass line coming through as it does on the version of ‘These Foolish Things which follows, this principally a feature for Turre’s plunger-muted mastery, sounding like a latter-day Tricky Sam, Thompson soloing in updated Horace Silver fashion.

All-star groups are often brought together more in hope than expectation, and this one needed greater animation and a more challenging repertoire to suggest recommendation.

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