Coming out of the Netherlands, this frothy group performs the
\nmusic of jazz musician Ad Colen, the band’s namesake saxophone
\nplayer and main songwriter, but that does not necessarily mean they
\nare jazz-oriented.<\/p>\n
But this CD is, as Colen realized the direction he wanted to
\nmove after touring for a year with “Up With People.” He, along with
\nRob van Bavel on piano, Erik Robaard on double bass and Chris Strik
\non drums, create a jazz disc alternating between slower pieces that
\nshowcase their talent and frenetic faster pieces that are just a
\nbit too frantic.<\/p>\n
“Massive Move” is dramatic and theatrical, expressively
\nhighlighting the horns, moving into a simplistic piano presentation
\nand then ending with the horns again. “Moments” slows down the
\nexuberant nature a bit and provides subtlety with romantic flair.
\nAlthough still lively and with a generous amount of energy, the
\nband gathers those fragmented pieces to form a cohesive
\npicture.<\/p>\n
“Bad Motha” made me think of a whole different genre than jazz,
\nand I still can’t figure out why Colen chose that name for this
\nsong. Is this supposed to be the hardcore side of jazz? Not likely,
\nalthough the piano work is expressive and the drum work makes an
\nexcellent companion. Also noteworthy is the warm and syrupy “Sweet
\nBriar,” the best of the collection in that it proudly showcases the
\nsax abilities of Colen. I prefer the softer choices like this, as
\nthis is where his true talent proves itself.<\/p>\n
“Eyes Wide Open” is a frantic, frenzied number and not to my
\nliking. The fragments are a bit too shattered, as they are in “Mind
\nTwist.” But I accept this as the nature of jazz and it doesn’t
\ndiminish my feelings for the album as a whole.<\/p>\n
Colen wants to have a conversation with his listeners and he
\nbelieves in improvisation, a quality perfect for jazz. With jazz
\nthere is room for experimentation and movement, and he isn’t afraid
\nto approach either with fervor. Colen has said he makes music
\nbecause he can’t create art, but it is art that he creates on this
\nCD, making a picture with the notes that is not unlike walking
\nthrough an art gallery.<\/p>\n
I have always found jazz to be somewhat exhausting — trying to
\ngrasp at the loose notes and trying to connect the moving musical
\ndots, so to speak, is tiring. But this CD is quite the opposite. It
\nis animated and peppy but doesn’t wear the listener down. Ad
\nColen’s complicated, multi-level talent is what makes
\nEyes Wide Open<\/i> fun.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":27134,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[7192],"rating":[5612],"class_list":["post-38472","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-ad-colen-quartet","rating-rating-b-minus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/38472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38472"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/38472\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=38472"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=38472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}