Liebman, Dave
Whaling City Sound, 2016, CD
Instrument: Saxophone
Issue: 23.1
Jazz Ruler Type: Avant Garde
Performance: 4
Sound: 5
Score: 66
O’s Notes: Expansions“are a series of open, free form interpretations of classics and originals. Dave Liebman (soprano sax, fl) leads a quintet with Bobby Avey (keyboards),“Matt Vashlishan (alto sax, cl, fl), Tony Marino (b) and Alex Ritz (d). There are 14 well-developed songs on two discs, the first is all acoustic and the second, electric. We liked “All Blues”, “Selim” and “Good Bait” on D-1. And we were energized by D-2 especially on “Footprints”, “Ugly Beauty” and “Danse La Le Fueeur”. This album works in part because the Dave sticks close enough to the original themes to help listeners connect while also infusing a generous dose of improvisation. The recording quality is also excellent capturing all of the nuances and air around the instruments.
Publicist: Mixed Media Promo
