Tenor player Donny McCaslin aims high on Soar and rather gloriously hits all his targets with this ambitious set of pieces of a decidedly Central and South American bent.
McCaslin's other "new" record, Give and Go (Criss Cross), was released in February. The two CDs couldn't be more different, though—while Give and Go was a comparatively stripped-down quintet set recorded in one day, Soar is an almost glossy behemoth recorded over several sessions and very definitely produced by David Binney. McCaslin's tenor and flutes are supported by various combinations of guitarist Ben Monder, bassist Scott Colley, drummer Antonio Sanchez, percussionist Pernell Saturnino, pianist Orrin Evans and vocalist Luciana Souza. (Trumpeter Shane Endsley and trombonist Luis Bonilla add parts to two songs, most notably joining with the leader on wonderfully Bach-like contrapuntals in the tag to "Soar.")
The only songs not written by McCaslin are "Tanya and "Merjorana Tonosiena, the Panamanian folk songs that bookend the CD. The springy, percolating "Tanya acts as an effective introduction to the album; it begins with McCaslin's romping, but always focused tenor alongside Saturnino's percussion, before overdubbed McCaslins pull in Monder's acoustic guitar, extra percussion and Souza's decorative vocals.
McCaslin's own compositions are the really impressive ones, though. "Push Up the Sky has an almost overwhelmingly earnest, dramatically hopeful tenor theme that's (characteristically on this record) doubled by Souza's voice over surging, dynamic drums, percussion and dramatically placed, minimal piano. Here and elsewhere, there is no dearth of soloing from the leader, and he's playing magnificently with robust tone, vibrant imagination (you can almost hear him thinking ahead) and a Coltrane-like conviction that says "this moment is important, and these notes need to come out." But his writing's as good as his playing; and Sanchez's typically athletic kit work and Colley's lovely but carnivorous bass lines give the listener more to do than savor tenor solos.
Colley's particularly marvelous on "Be Love, an elegantly swaying piece built around a five-note bass vamp that's enlivened by a gorgeous McCaslin solo (you can apply that last phrase to describe most of the tunes) and a hotly liquid, acid-toned solo from Monder. It's not uncommon for an added percussionist to weigh down a kit drummer's swing, but here Sanchez and Saturnino shift and mutate the groove as one before they open up into simultaneous soloing against that bass vamp—now bolstered by Souza's voice—on the tag.
"Be Love, "Push Up the Sky, "Soar, and "Laid Bare are extended pieces. Their length, coupled with cynicism-free optimism (just glance at those titles) and epic yearning—plus sweetening touches like Souza's vocals and the hardly dry production values—could have led to disaster. Records like Soar are often toothlessly bland or annoyingly precious. - Paul Olson
JAZZTIMES
The congas-and-tenor conversation that opens Soar kicks things off in high gear. “Tanya,” a Panamanian folk song, is marked by some remarkably fast tonguing from tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin, who doesn’t seem to break for air throughout the song’s three minutes. Conguero Pernell Saturnino fuels the fire, too, as he does on most of the disc. But despite Saturnino’s presence, and the wordless vocals of Luciana Souza acting as a second instrument on half the album, Soar is less a Latin jazz album than an album with Latin elements that doesn’t lend itself to easy description. Time is better spent listening than analyzing anyway.
For his fifth album as a leader, McCaslin splits his time almost evenly between rhythmic workouts like “Be Love” or “Push Up the Sky” and appealing ballads like “Hero as a Boy” (whose uncertain melody could be mistaken for a Radiohead song) and “Laid Bare.” McCaslin isn’t afraid of overdubbing if it adds to the ambience. Several tracks feature his own voice adding to the melody, and he plays flute and alto flute on “Be Love” and “Merjorana Tonosieña,” another Panamanian folk song, which closes the album. Guitarist Ben Monder contributes his typically understanding-cum-spellbinding solos and works well together with bassist Scott Colley, drummer Antonio Sanchez and pianist Orrin Evans. - Mike Shanley
Tracks
1. Tanya
2. O Campeāo
3. Push Up The Sky
4. Hero As A Boy
5. Be Love
6. Grafton
7. Soar
8. Laid Bare
9. Merjorana Tonosieña
DONNY McCASLIN tenor saxophone, flute, alto flute
SCOTT COLLEY bass (tracks: 2 to 9)
ANTONIO SANCHEZ drums (tracks: 2 to 9)
BEN MONDER guitar
PERNELL SATURNINO percussion (tracks: 1 to 3, 5, 7 to 9)
ORRIN EVANS piano (tracks: 2 to 4, 8)
LUIS BONILLA trombone
SHANE ENDSLEY trumpet (tracks: 7, 8)
LUCIANA SOUZA vocals (Tracks: 1 to 5, 8)
Music composed by Donny McCaslin except (1) & (9) traditional Panamian Folk Songs
Recorded at Systems Two, Brooklyn, NY, Spring/Summer of 2005
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