Tineke Postma's third CD as a leader is an impressive effort, as she is finding her own voice on both alto and soprano sax, while also making her recorded debut on tenor. Joined by bassist Frans van der Hoeven and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, along with a rotating trio of pianists (Marc van Roon, Rob Van Bavel and Randal Corsen), Postma's originals avoid predictability and hook the listener immediately, starting with the dark, Latin-flavored "Bar Celta.""A Journey That Matters" is a driving post-bop work, an infectious arrangement by Johan Plomp that adds a brass/reed choir behind the leader's darting soprano. Postma's robust tenor is featured in the intricate "Synchronicity," while her lush alto is showcased in "Comprendo." But her fresh approaches to well known songs will especially turn heads. She takes quite a few liberties with Duke Ellington's "Prelude to a Kiss," giving it a Latin rhythm and stretching its melodic structure well away from its roots with long inspired flights on soprano. In a miniature setting of Billy Strayhorn'"A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing," her brooding alto is accented by the rhythm section's jagged, spacious background. Finally, Postma's soprano soars in Plomp's scoring of Ellington's "Fleurette Africaine," as he blends in dramatic acoustic guitar with French horn, bass clarinet, bassoon and flute as an effective backdrop. - Ken Dryden
Tracks
01. Bar Celta (Tineke Postma)
02. Short Conversations (Tineke Postma)
03. Fleurette Africaine (Duke Ellington)
04. Traveling Circus (Tineke Postma)
05. A Journey That Matters (Tineke Postma)
06. Comprendo (Tineke Postma)
07. Magic Two (Tineke Postma)
08. The Experience (Tineke Postma)
09. A Prelude to a Kiss (Duke Ellington)
10. Synchronicity (Tineke Postma)
11. A Flower is a Lovesome Thing (Billy Strayhorn)
TINEKE POSTMA soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
FRANS VAN DER HOEVEN bass
TOBIAS KLEIN bass clarinet, clarinet
JANINE TEEPEN bassoon
TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON drums
BRANT PLATTEAU flute
MORRIS KLIHUIS french horn
MARC ANTONI VAN ROOM piano
RANDAL CORSEN piano (1, 2)
ROB VAN BAVEL piano (4, 9, 10)
EDOARDO RIGHINI guitar
Recorded April 21 & 22, 2007 at Wisseloord Studios, Hilversum, Netherlands
Foreign Media Jazz - 93524 Netherlands