CD entitled “Invocation.” The song begins with a tenor sax solo, which makes me picture an old mystery movie. The added reverb on the sax gives the idea that he is playing in an open hall. The entire song is very free form. There is very seldom a noticeable rhythm; definitely not something the normal person would tap their foot to. The percussion consists of seemingly random entrances on a high-hat or a tom drum that fade in and out giving you no real sense of a rhythm. The solos are also very free, seeming to leave a lot of room for Redman or the pianist to really express themselves. The song proceeds like this for a few minutes and seems to climax in a mess of chaos. Random percussion entrances, short runs on the saxophone, clashing notes on the piano and guitar. You can just feel the tension in the part. The intensity is amazing, especially with all that is happening. Just when I was thinking the tune couldn’t get anymore unorthodox, an incredible beat seems to come out of the mess of noise. Like the fog had just lift and the sun shone through. As the song begins to come to a close it very slowly fades out to the sound of a lone bass. As I listen I picture a musician practicing alone on stage. I really enjoyed the solo; the harshness of the musician on the strings really adds something. I can’t really describe why this song was so captivating. It must have been the different sound that really grabbed me. Like the dissonance that makes someone cringe, but adds so much to the song. For other than “Invocation,” I was relatively unimpressed with the CD. Not that the playing wasn’t excellent, just that it lacked something that grabbed my attention. It didn’t have what it takes to make these songs stand out above any other jazz musician...
