JOE SANTA MARIA & DAVID TRANCHINA

OBLIQUE RHYME

Orenda Records

Joe Santa Maria, alto, tenor & soprano saxophones/composer; David Tranchina, acoustic bass/ composer; Gary Fukushima, piano/composer; Colin Woodford, drums/composer.

This is a power-packed group of Southern California musicians.  Each one is an in-demand sideman as well as a bandleader in their own right. They’re also close friends, on and off the bandstand.

“We set out to make something beautiful and unique for ‘Oblique Rhyme.’ We’re all multifaceted musicians who have played in a wide variety of styles and have different perspectives on music, but it all blends beautifully when we play together,” says Tranchina.

“We’re not interested in just showing off our chops.  When you listen to the great jazz artists, although they’re technically brilliant, it’s their musicality and soulfulness that expresses something deeper and more personal.  That’s what we wanted for this album,” explains Santa Maria in their press package.

They open with a Joseph Santa Maria tune titled, “War Crime.”  It’s energetic and dynamic, with the saxophone taking the lead and reminding me how much I love bebop and Straight-ahead jazz. Tranchina’s double bass walks all over this tune, in perfect step with Colin Woodford’s drums. Gary Fukushima brings modern jazz to the party.  His piano playing flies both melodic and improvisational, like a wild beautiful bird. I am absolutely fascinated by this first original song. It covers several jazz perspectives, all in the same well-written tune, and introduces me to this quartet.

Each group member has contributed their original music to this imaginative album.  Santa Maria said that on this debut original composition, “War Crimes” he endeavored to capture elements of Ornette Coleman’s music, mixed with modern funk.

“I think it has a lot of color, although it’s a bit ambiguous harmonically.  I shifted around minor scale fragments to create an agitated texture,” Santa Maria described his composition’s elements.

Track #2 is a Tranchina composition called, “Hidden Lake.”  It softens the mood and slows the groove, this time featuring Santa Maria on soprano sax. It’s named for a street where Tranchina grew up in Sonoma County.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ousB1kIt62Q

Gary Fukushima composed “Sum Thymes,” a play on words, that’s quite abstract.  This tune allows the band to show their skills in creating complex, Avant-garde textures and improvisation.

“This Must Be For You” is an original composition contributed by drummer, Colin Woodford. He dedicated this tune to Herbie Hancock.  Each player brings their A-game to this project, both as composers and players.  This album is full of surprises and technical beauty. However, what really drew me into their music is the emotional and soulful way each musician weaved creativity and honest emotion into these arrangements.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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