GA Russell Posted March 29, 2009 Report Share Posted March 29, 2009 Fly is a trio made up of Mark Turner on tenor and soprano sax, Larry Grenadier on bass and Jeff Ballard on drums. They have a new album out this week called Sky & Country. They will be touring the US throughout April: April 9 - 12 New York, NY Jazz Standard April 14 Ulster, NY SUNY-Ulster April 15 &16 Boston, MA Berklee April 17 Cambridge, MA Regattabar April 18 La Jolla, CA Athenaeum April 20 Oakland, CA Yoshi's April 21-22 Seattle, WA Jazz Alley April 24 Portland, OR Jimmy Mak's April 26 Arcata, CA Redwood Jazz Alliance There are nine tracks on the album, with Turner relaxed on all of them. For the first six, Ballard is a colorist. The tracks are good, but I felt that they would have been better with the addition of a piano or a guitar. Turner has an interesting sound on the soprano sax. Very clear and round tone. He plays very low notes, and I thought he was playing an alto. For the last three tracks, Ballard wakes up and provides some real rhythm. To my taste those tracks are by far the best of the cd. I like Grenadier a lot, and he doesn't disappoint here. In regard to the tour, I would say that if the venue is convenient and you haven't taken your wife out for drinks in a while, then I would certainly recommend going. I think the concert would be interesting and enjoyable. But if the venue is inconvenient and expensive, I don't think this group will provide the lasting memories that would justify the effort. It's a very good record, but it's not that big a deal when Ballard isn't propelling the group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 I plan on seeing this group when they perform in San Diego (it's not La Jolla) on the 18th. Thanks for the review, GA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
relyles Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 I hope to be able to get down to catch them at the Jazz Standard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robviti Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 be advised that the two dates at berklee are part of the college's marsalis jam series. the band will play only a short set, followed by an open jam by berklee students. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sal Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 I really liked their first one on Savoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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