TRANSPLANTATION

This is an instrumental album by a band with a somewhat unusual line-up (drums, bass, alt sax, trumpet). With a group like that there is only one place to go, and that is jazz. That they do so with so much finesse and style is a credit. The drums fairly drive the music along but they are for the most part the under-stated part of the group, and while the bass plays behind the melody there are sections where it takes the lead. Of course it is the two brass instruments that can be seen to be taking the band on their musical journey but there are times when they themselves are quiet so that the others can be heard, with the bass taking a much more important focus with some different styles of playing.

This isn't music for the faint-hearted conservative, as this is trying to push boundaries so that they are often avant-garde as well as bringing in some more standard progressive tones. It will not be to everyone's tastes but this is a record that I have enjoyed playing a great deal and will be again.

Originally appeared in Feedback #78, April 2004