May 11th, 2021
Jazzology: Cartoon Bebop, Vinnie Riccitelli, Tunetown, The Dave Weckl Band
Post-Bop, Jazz-Rock Fusion, Swing and Canada’s Finest!
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Entering Utopia (Three Pines Records), by Canada’s swinging post-bop avant-funk Tunetown, builds upon their impressive 2019 There From Here debut. It’s a classic format, one that Sonny Rollins and Lee Konitz pioneered in the 1950s, that of the chordless trio. The tenor and soprano saxophones of Kelly Jefferson, the acoustic bass of Artie Roth and the drums, extra percussive toys and bass clarinet of the multi-talented Ernesto Cervini meander through 12 tracks of pure adventure, stopping along the way to get righteous with melodic invention before rampaging on with diametric constructions—complex and oftentimes baffling—on originals and Charlie Parker (“Cheryl”). Taken from the same session that resulted in the debut, highlights include “Billyish” for one of Cervini’s influences, drummer Bill Stewart, and “Sycamore,” a welcome perversion of Ahmad Jamal’s 1963 “Poinciana” done in 7/4 time.
Mike Greenblatt