Strickland, Marcus
Strick Muzik, 2009, CD
Instrument: Saxophone
Issue: 15.4
Jazz Ruler Type: Ballads, Blues
Performance: 4
Sound: 3
Score:
O’s Notes: Marcus leads a saxophone trio with E. J. Strickland (d) and Ben Williams (b). They play five originals and six covers, all in a modern bebop mood. Marcus carries the melodies well and we don’t notice the absence of a piano or guitar. The sound is crisp and clean through the entire set. E. J. and Ben establish funky syncopated beats on “Scatterheart” that continues through the session. Williams shines on “Middleman” and “Ne Bi Fe” laying down pronounced bass lines and strong solos for both tracks. They slow down a notch with Strickland extracting mellow tones from his sax on “She’s Alive”. We also enjoyed the cover of “You’ve Got It Bad Girl”. Marcus makes a strong statement with Idiosyncrasies and it is a winner.
Publicist: Red Cat Publicity