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Grade: 9/10
Andy Parsons, Gene Lewin, John
Patitucci, Ben Monder -- Flip! (Sons of Sound):
Flip! is
as tasty as a breakfast at Mad Martha's on Plum
Island. (For those reading
from out of state, Plum
Island is a section of Newbury/Newburyport on
the Massachusetts coastline.)
Andy Parsons (tenor, soprano saxophone);
Gene Lewin (drums); John Patitucci (acoustic bass);
and Ben
Monder (electric guitar) team to produce a smooth,
introspective and tight 70-minute, 10-song block
of modern jazz. Never toplofty, Flip! offers
daubs of horn and guitar backed by a focused rhythm
section. The inwrought grooves are full but Flip! gives listeners the impression that the compositions
are loose jams. In fact, the extemporaneous playing
is firm and pronged.
"Tookish" is gentle and
direct, yet reticular and punchy. Parsons paces
himself and never gets
ahead of his mates, allowing his notes to flow
steadily. "Lot Of Our Souls" is heavier,
thanks to a scintillating six-string workout from
Monder. "Year Out," is the disc's best
track. It's a gorgeous cascade of notes and well-constructed
melody. "East Of The Sun (And West Of The
Moon)" is cautious (though never timid) while "Which
Thousand Words" remains interesting thanks
to some deft chord changes and cool stops and starts.
Occasionally the band loses its
way. "Alone
In The Loveseat" boasts dizzying horn work
but seems to lack a destiny. It's almost as if
the whole song was something that was picked up
in the middle; no beginning or ending is readily
apparent.
"Miss Conception" runs
out of steam halfway through and Monder's guitar
becomes overly airy
and psychedelic. The result is a strange brew.
These are minor quibbles, though.
Overall, this is a welcome treat. Filled with delicious
little
nooks and shrewd jams, Flip! is a superior
work of coherent modern jazz. Any fan of the genre
will appreciate its nectarous rhythms and humid
tapestry of sound.
For
more information on Flip!, please go to www.andyparsonsmusic.com
— Michael J. Ryan
©
2003 BostonHerald.com, 5/16/2003
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