Matt Wilson Quartet – That’s Gonna Leave a Mark – Palmetto Records PM 2139, 52:49 ****1/2:
(Matt Wilson – drums; Andrew D’Angelo – alto saxophone, bass clarinet; Jeff Lederer – tenor and soprano saxophone, clarinet; Chris Lightcap – drums; with The Swayettes and the Wilson Family Singers on one track)
In order for this kind of thing to work, there needs to be lots of compositional variation, powerful distinctive lead voices, rhythmic diversity, and sufficient coloration. Otherwise, the proceedings tend to lapse into predictable patterns that soon weary the listener. Matt Wilson, pretty much the house drummer for the Palmetto label, as well as leader of about a dozen sessions, deftly juggles all the elements to craft a quite attractive disc.
Among the group members, Andrew D’Angelo particularly stands out. I’ve come to love his playing, which reminds me a lot of the great but under-appreciated altoist, Oliver Lake, as well as Peter Epstein in his more wild and wooly incarnations. Leader Wilson and bassist Lightcap make a formidable rhythm section, goosing things along or providing apposite colors as required. Jeff Lederer comes out of the modernist school of David Murray and Ellery Eskelin with lots of fire and split tones. What immediately catches one’s attention is the locked-in dual lead playing of the frontline hornmen.
In the interest of full disclosure, I have to say I don’t generally like this sort of thing. But there’s such a zany exuberance all over this disc that whatever reservations one might have toward music like this are quickly dispelled by the sheer mastery consistently on display. If you like your jazz modern, muscular, and more than a little idiosyncratic, check out the Matt Wilson Quartet.
TrackList:
Shooshabuster
Arts & Crafts
Rear Control
Getting Friendly
Two Bass Hit
Area Man
Lucky
That’s Gonna Leave a Mark
Celibate Oriole
Come and Find the Quiet Center
Why Can’t We Just Be Friends?
– Jan P. Dennis
