Masters, Mark
Capri, 2018, CD
Instrument: Instrumental
Issue: 24.4
Jazz Ruler Type: BigBand
Performance: 4
Sound: 4
Score:
O’s Notes: Composer, arranger and producer Mark Masters assembles a large ensemble including a core, star-laden sextet with Gary Foster (a-sax), Tim Hagen’s (t), Oliver Lake (a-sax), Mark Turner (t-sax), Putter Smith (b) and Andrew Cyrille (d). Masters’ music has a unique feel, with surprising accents and changes that keep listeners on the edge of their chair. Anna Mjöll adds voice to soften the many facets on “51 West 51st Street”, and then scatting on “Lift”, a cool blues number including some nice work by Craig Fundyga (vibes). There’s a lot of open space despite the large number of musicians. Listeners are easily able to resolve individual instruments and tone making this an enjoyable listening experience.
Publicist: Braithwaite & Katz