Steve: "This is the jazz James Baldwin was talking about when he wrote, "Sonny's Blues." And last night, before a packed house at the Village Vangaurd, Brian Blade sat down and proved to the world why he i..."   more

Steve: "This is the jazz James Baldwin was talking about when he wrote, "Sonny's Blues." And last night, before a packed house at the Village Vangaurd, Brian Blade sat down and proved to the world why he is the greatest living jazz drummer today. If you were lucky enough to see him perform with Daniel Lanois at SXSW this year or have seen him in the past with Joni Mitchell or Bob Dylan, then you know what I'm talking about - if not, you need to see this man live with his jazz group. On his new CD, "Seasons of Change," Several longer tracks are mini-suites. Cowherd's sprawling, 12-minute title track is the standout, including an austere piano intro, a rousing fanfare for horns, a catchy melody for piano and guitar that echoes the early Pat Metheny Group, a blazing guitar solo from Kurt Rosenwinkel, a soulful tenor saxophone solo from Melvin Butler and a vamp out for alto saxophonist Myron Walden before an austere conclusion. Even more tightly packed is the CD's six-minute closer, Omni. The slow ballad gives Walden time to be fierce before Cowherd chills things out with a pastoral solo. A plaintive pop coda seems the perfect conclusion. Eclectic yet cohesive, Season of Changes is a striking example of a group in which stellar soloists put the group effort first. That's a testament to their faith in the power of Blade's music. While Blade never takes as much as a solo, it's nonetheless clear that the life-affirming feeling from behind his kit is the chief inspiration for his disc's many virtues. Every age is lucky enough to have those few artists that transcend - Brian Blade is one of those artists."