Bruce Barth
's third
Double-Time
release features
Terell Stafford
on trumpet and flugel,
Adam Kolker
on tenor and soprano sax (and alto clarinet),
Ugonna Okegwo
on bass,
Duduka DaFonseca
on percussion, and
Billy Hart
on drums. In a rather ingenious move,
Barth
intersperses three 30-second solo piano takes of
Monk
's
"Criss Cross"
throughout the program, finally giving us a nearly full-length take as the finale. Furthering the
theme, he also offers a trio rendition of
"We See"
and a full-band version of
"Light Blue."
Two standard bossas also appear: a mellow trio reading of
"Estate"
and a lively take on
Jobim
"Triste"
in seven. There are only three
originals, but they range widely, from the 6/8 modal fury of
"Tom Tom Thing"
to the melodic solo piano feature
"Somehow It's True"
to the quasi-free-form
"Solitude,"
the last of which is reprised toward the end of the program. The consistently stellar playing and the uncommon conceptual moves make this one of
's most refreshing efforts to date. ~ David R. Adler