Ambrose Akinmusire

[mrjazzman]

I'm a big fan of this kid, but his latest release, A Rift In Decorum: Live At The Village Vanguard, is way too somber for me. It's prevalent in all of his recordings but on this release after listening to the sound samples, I almost started crying. Too melancholy for my tastes. I'm a foot tapper, finger popper.  I need a LITTLE bit of that which I do find in his other recordings but I'll have to take a pass on this latest one. Having said all that, cuts like Rollcall For Those Absent from the cd The Imagined Savior Is Far Easier To Paint will always keep me a fan of this young man.

[mjazzg]

A talent indeed.

I saw a very intense set by the quartet this year at Ronnie Scott's. Not a lot of finger poppin' but some very impressive playing. I've enjoyed his playing since his days with Steve Coleman and think his three leader dates  up to A Rift all excellent, challenging but also accessible.I find A Rift quite dense and I hear the sombreness too - I've listened to it less than the others but your post reminds me to revisit it. I think it probably needs bit more attention from me. I wonder whether it's missing the variation of having another instrument in the frontline?

His playing on Wolfgang Muthspiel's last ECM release is interesting to hear as the music is a big contrast to his own. Excellent though

Edited September 28, 2017 by mjazzg

[LarryCurleyMoe]

Check out his work on Walter Smith III - "Casually Introducing..." on Fresh Sounds.  It is respectable and musical!

[Justin V]

I enjoyed his playing at the Pittsburgh Jazz Seminar last year, which was the last time that I saw Geri Allen.  Incidentally, the impressive Jamison Ross, who also won the Monk Competition, was on the gig as well.

[mrjazzman]

I'm not here often but I appreciate  the feedback I get from you all.  I caught AA at Yoshi's in Oakland a couple of years ago and on his live sets he does speed things up a bit. 

[CJ Shearn]

I have all his Blue Note releases and am a fan of him as well,  the new album is VERY dark, it's a territory I also associate with Christian Scott, it's music that has a social relevance.  I gotta listen to "Rift' again, but I just ordered the Blue Note All Stars "Our Point of View" based on the strength of "Second Light" and "Masquelero".  Though "View" seems a bit short to be a double CD but I guess with it being a double LP as well, they want to mimic the double album thing I guess.