Black Art in Bloomington, MN

A veteran of bands led by
Tony Williams
,
Roy Haynes
, and
Betty Carter
, pianist
Darrell Grant
's
Criss Cross
finds
Grant
working with trumpeter
Wallace Roney
, bassist
Christian McBride
, and drummer
Brian Blade
on five
post-bop
originals, two
jazz classics
, and two
standards
. While this recording is under
's name, the real star of this recording is
Roney
. Often maligned by critics for sounding too much like
Miles Davis
possesses a more aggressive attack that he puts to use on several numbers, including the energetic
Latin
-influenced
"Freedom Dance,"
"Tilmon Tones,"
based on a phrase from a
Williams
composition, and even shows his lyrical side on the beautiful melody of
"Foresight."
also contributes a hip trio arrangement of the often-played
standard
"What Is This Thing Called Love."
After a brief
McBride
bass solo,
's piano "suggests" the melody over a
bass vamp with the bridge played at a faster tempo. The song even ends with a whispering voice a la
Davis
. A satisfying label debut from a up-and-coming young musician. ~ Greg Turner