Kretzmer, Yoni – “Overlook” – [Out Now Recordings]

Max Level   11/29/2011   CD, Jazz

Not afraid to step outside, these guys. It’s all about forward-thinking jazz with this sax/bass clarinet/bass/drums quartet. Tenor saxophonist Kretzmer in particular colors way outside the lines when he gets going. He also wrote all the material, and his compositions seem fairly complex. There is a wide range of sounds here–some of the tracks have an abstract, almost soundscape feel, while others are more aggressive and feature a lot of moving parts. Track #7 has a blues vibe and all of the guys get to do solos on it. The final track (#9) has a minute of silence in the middle for some reason, starting at around 4 minutes in, and then the band comes back for a strong finale.