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TNT [Trombone-N-Tenor] Steve Turre Telarc, 2001
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Reviewed by Mark Gallo
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TNT [Trombone-N-Tenor] is an explosive set and the first to feature Steve Turre on trombone exclusively; he also plays conch shells quite remarkably. Here he duets with acclaimed tenorists James Carter and David Sanchez, as well as with the great Dewey Redman (that's Joshua's dad for you youngsters). For just under a mesmerizing hour, Turre and company offer a wide-ranging program that lights up on a number of fronts. Given his disparate background -- work with Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Dizzy Gillespie, Lester Bowie, Tito Puente, Ray Charles, the Jazz Messengers and a long list of others -- the variety of styles touched on and the homage paid here is hardly surprising. The eight song set is broken into four originals alongside Benny Goodman's "Stompin' At The Savoy," Stanley Turrentine's "Back In The Day," Hoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness of You," and former boss Ray Charles' "Hallelujah, I Love Her So." That songlist is deceptively timid and might be fluff in lesser hands. On TNT it is extraordinary. "Back In the Day" benefits from James Carter's growl as much as Mulgrew Miller's superb doodlin', Turre's and Carter's matched lines and the duo's playful call-and-response. Tito Puente is feted on "Puente of Soul." In tandem with young gun David Sanchez, Turre is assured and swinging throughout the tricky changes and Sanchez is appropriately fiery. Miller, too, proves himself adept at the tempo and complex challenges of the piece. "Stompin' At the Savoy" features Redman and Turre on what must have been a special piece to record. This is one that Turre learned first hand from trombone great Al Gray. Given that he came up in the era, Redman's presence here is almost natural. Certainly it isn't music with which the venerable tenor saxophonist is particularly aligned; still, he pulls it off with a certain flair. Turre's work is transcendent. He may be the preeminent jazz trombonist on the scene today, and his playing here certainly demonstrates why. As impressive as J.J. Johnson in his prime, he digs for the gutbucket as effortlessly as he dazzles on the scales. Peter Washington takes a fine solo here, as well. Turre puts his on best Tommy Dorsey to match James Carter's eerily on-the-mark Johnny Hodges for the sweet "The Nearness Of You." Melodic and mellow, the tune captures these two innovators paying heavy homage. Miller again is brilliant in his tender, yet sprightly runs. Carter's rip in "Hallelujah" is certainly counter to the mellowness of "Tenderness." Turre's deep into the bucket on this one with the plunger affixed, while Carter wails with the sass of the best of the barwalkers. The tribute to Eric Dolphy, "Eric The Great," with Carter again enlisted, benefits from Victor Lewis' drumming, wonderful bass work from Buster Williams, the tandem sax-bone lines and, again, jaw-dropping work from Miller. Turre's best work on the disc is found here. Though he wrote the piece, he allowed plenty of improvisatory space, and his stratospheric and squeezed exhortations are as brilliant as saxophonist Dolphy's. Carter shines here, too, matching Turre squeak for squawk. The rhythm section burns and Miller is hypnotic. "E.J." is Turre's tribute to Elvin Jones and is a swinging vehicle for David Sanchez, one of the most important young players on the scene today. Given that he and Turre met in Dizzy's band in the late 1980s, he's obviously not that young anymore. It sheds complimentary light, too, on Turre's facile songwriting talent. On the closing modal free piece written for him, Dewey
Redman is in his element on "Dewey's Dance." Again
showcasing Turre's imaginative songwriting, this is the
longest and perhaps most thoughtful piece on the collection.
Turre and Redman are spotlighted throughout in a piece that
tugs and pulls at the ever-popular musical envelope.
Miller's solo is introspective and swinging at the same
time. It's a perfect closer to one of the most diverse and
successfully executed pieces of music of the past few years.
| May 2002 Mark Gallo is a long-time freelance music journalist whose byline has appeared in over 30 publications in the past 25 years. He has also been a DJ, publicist and archivist/researcher. When not writing about music he is a social worker |
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