Bombella

Previous projects pairing in an orchestral setting have yielded wonderful results, and this collaboration with the from Cologne, Germany is just as marvelous. s spiritually driven piano playing is at the center of 's expansive charts that brings the music into full flower, punchy, deep, or serene as it tends to be in spots. The material is familiar to all fans of 's, as he brings back some older favorites, and expounds on the influence of mentors and , with perhaps a nod to as well. The band is loaded with fine soloists -- s tenor sax is particularly arresting -- and they each get a turn, but also provide the bright colors that enhance s music in a way small ensembles cannot. With a max level of resourcefulness, the band picked to lead out on piccolo for the familiar theme but she embellishes high-end notes with a bop style amidst the South African shuffle so identifiable with township music. That rolling train sound, accented by brushes on snare drum, also permeates another favorite, as s -flavored piano intro (paraphrasing ) fires up the choo choo in steamy, subtle phrases. An incredible revisit of -- for the rail cars that transport migrant workers to the South African gold mines -- is a powerful musical statement, with the band roaring in full brawny and shouted-out multiple layers of a complete whole, as 's piano conducts the punctuations and clickety-clack seam sounds. Still recalling the horrific practice of apartheid, sports another mobile conveyance in musical terms, as bassist 's piano set up a broad blues visage, throbbing with the pain of oppression under the valve trombone of . There's a love ballad testimonial for s wife led by alto saxophonist , the elegant remembrance in tribute to an trombonist featuring , and two combo pieces including the solo piano merging with a solemn, horn-filled, light pop piece the former in a different, lower key than the original, the latter splattered with various solo sections. As a fuller representation of his straight-ahead jazz side, subtitled "Masters & Muses") is a bouncy swinger with a simple melody that changes into a waltz. Well into his seventies, seems to always find the right accompanists to broaden the horizons of his magical music, and with he's done it again, perhaps better than ever. ~ Michael G. Nastos