James Finn Trio – Plaza de Toros (2005)

A Darker Shade Of Blue

Clean Feed – CF034CD; Format: CD, Album; Portugal, Released 2005; Style: Free Jazz, Contemporary Jazz
Engineer, Mixed By, Mastered By, Producer – James Finn

Personnel:
James Finn — Tenor Saxophone
Dominic Duval — Double Bass 
Warren Smith — Drums

Track Listings :
1. Toreo de Capa
2. Plaza de Toros
3. The Phantom Bull of Seville
4. El Tercio de Varas
5. Eyes of Angelina
6. El Tercio de Vanderillas
7. El Tercio de Muleta
8. La Estocada
9. Toro Bravo

By JEFF STOCKTON,
Published: June 11, 2005  (AAJ)

Last year, after a stint in Ben Harper’s band, tenor man James Finn sprang onto the jazz scene at the age of nearly forty as a fully- formed free improviser, with a trio completed by bassist Dominic Duval and drummer Whit Dickey. Opening the Gates (Cadence Records) was quickly followed by Faith in a Seed (CIMP), the drum chair now filled by veteran Warren Smith. These recordings picked up where late-period Coltrane left off, and Finn’s playing is characterized by nearly continuous forward momentum and a charismatic presence, bolstered by fresh material and the leader’s purposeful seriousness. Plaza de Toros, his third release in quick succession, represents in sound the stages of a bullfight. With its Latin-tinged melodies, the comparison now runs closer to Ivo Perelman, and while Finn’s tone is a little thinner than Perelman’s, Finn’s conception is arguably more focused and powerful.

“Toreo de Capa” opens with the swagger of the matador, Finn playing nearly in the range of a trumpet, soloing vibrantly on top of Smith’s dramatically rolling drums and splashing cymbals. Finn’s vibrato spins out into overblowing on the title composition, which serves as an overture to the confrontation, contrasting aggressive squeals with repose. Duval (also the bassist in Perelman’s recent trios) lends his characteristic arco style to dialogues with Finn on “The Phantom Bull of Seville” and the whispery “El Tercio de Varas”. As the drama approaches finality, Smith punctuates the air on “La Estocada” and his extended percussion solo on “Toro Bravo” relieves the tension, before Finn’s concluding fanfare clears it away.

The plot of Plaza de Toros unfurls like a matador’s cape and conveys the pride, dignity, ceremony, and style of the bullfight. In the midst of the violence, “Eyes of Angelina” is a relatively brief lyrical passage that simply sings. Perhaps there is more of the Gentle Side of James Finn. In the meantime, he is a free jazz talent to be reckoned with.

The link will be send to members of A Darker Shade Of Blue (*)

If you are not a member and you want to join us, you are welcome;
all you have to do:
1. Sign up as a Follower of A Darker Shade Of Blue. Use the “Join this site” entry located above the the Follower’s pictures, to register. Verify that your name appears on the list.
( Make sure to tick the square “follow publicly” and not “follow anonymously”;
If you choose the later your name will be invisible).
2. Send us an email  your Follower’s name and requests (up to 4 items) to: [email protected]

(*) If you are a Follower of the blog and you didn’t receive the link, it’s probably because we don’t have your email address.
So send us a confirmation with your Follower’s name and a valid email address and will add you to the mailing list.

Uri Hornstein

http://thejazzinnadarkofshadeofblue.blogspot.com/

Read more at A Darker Shade Of Blue