Joe Lovano Us Five: Bird Songs

"The subject on 'Bird Songs' is Charlie Parker: bop’s blazing paragon and a saxophonist of superhuman craft. But this album doesn’t set out to shadowbox with Parker’s genius, and it’s not about preserving the codifications of his art. What Mr. Lovano is after here is both simpler and more slippery, and better suited to his particular gifts. This is Mr. Lovano’s second album with the band he calls Us Five: James Weidman on piano, Esperanza Spalding on bass, and both Otis Brown III and Francisco Mela on drums. ... The band ... has a springy, texture rich, intriguingly destabilized rapport, with its two drummers engaging either in clattering dialogue or a washy tandem. The elastic interplay of Us Five is in fact the main point of 'Bird Songs,' which approaches its Parker-centric repertory as a springboard rather than an altar. The songs are subjected to unforeseen slowdowns, extended sidebars and more than a little reconstructive surgery" (Nate Chinen, "New CDs," New York Times, 1/10/11).
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