A small collection of musicians centered around the East Village scene, the
Brad Leali-
Claus Raible quartet has a blues-based style that's missing from a lot of albums now, especially with the level of intensity heard here (which is particularly notable given the European label behind it). The album opens with a nice piece of post-bop that mixes a driving piano from
Raible with an intense round of solos on
Leali's sax. "Puddin' Time" purports to have some basis in gospel, but the influence appears to come to the group by way of
Art Blakey instead (which is a welcome addition of influence, indeed). "I Guess I Hang My Tears Out to Dry" gives
Raible a chance to do a little less driving, and more sensitive soloing is the result. "Catina" gears the music upward again, and
Dizzy's classic "Manteca" provides a canvas on which the artists cut loose for a bit of classic bop melody, as well as an extraordinary solo on the drums courtesy of Alvester Garnett. The title track stretches out, letting
Leali alternately drag a long set of well-placed squeals from his horn and bubbling small riffs. Another ballad (this time from
Bud Powell) gives
Raible another chance to shine in a more sensitive form, but only for a moment. With "Not Yet," the band moves back to a bluesy urban groove, which is only added to for the final track, a basic 8-bar blues. There's a lot to like about this outing. From a relatively unknown quartet, on a relatively unknown jazz label from Switzerland, there's quite a bit here to enjoy. Nothing groundbreaking in composition, nobody trying to become the next, brightest star in the jazz world, but entirely solid performances all around, and a lot of excellent musicianship makes this a fine pick for a nice weekend spin. ~ Adam Greenberg