[TR24][OF] Behn Gillece - Walk Of Fire - 2017/2018 (Post-Bop)

Vibraphonist Behn Gillece thrives on the camaraderie of modern hard-bop. He came to prominence co-leading various ensembles with tenor saxophonist Ken Fowler, frequently changing rhythm sections on their four discs together for Posi-Tone. Walk of Fire is Gillece’s third for the label as the sole leader since then. It might just be the best of the bunch and, not coincidentally, features a septet, his largest working group thus far, performing 10 of his original tunes. Gillece writes sturdy melodies with familiar chord changes, so that a galvanizing frisson can be established by different textures slotted into the arrangements. The themes surge as a procession of soloists take turns against the template.
It doesn’t hurt that the three-member horn section consists of Posi-Tone headliners both established (trombonist Michael Dease, saxophonist Walt Weiskopf) and up-and-coming (trumpeter Bruce Harris). Their solo transitions are seamless and buttery on the opening title song and “Dauntless Journey”—compositions that retain a simmering pace, a relaxed tension arising from the taut communication of pros at work. Gillece indulges two of his longstanding affections: the creamy sophistication of Brazilian music, on the samba “Fantasia Brasileira”; and the quicksilver stroll of Milt Jackson on “Bags Mood,” neatly abetted by some laidback phrasing from Harris. The rhythm section snares the spotlight at various points in passing: Jason Tiemann’s drum and cymbal fills on “Battering Ram,” Adam Birnbaum’s extended piano solo to cap “Something New,” and a sans-horns quartet rendition of “Reflective Current.”
Gillece is a tasteful four-mallet stylist who prefers to gracefully surf the mainstream current rather than dazzle with speed and affectation. That said, when you pay attention, both his ensemble work throughout the disc and his solos on tracks like “Walk of Fire,” “Bags Mood” and “Specter” steadily unveil the depth of his abundant technique and dogged imagination. The camaraderie here includes the listener.https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/behn-gillece-walk-of-fire/

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Vibraphonist Behn Gillece has been a fixture on the New York jazz scene for the past decade, notably in his project with one of this era’s great tenor sax player/composers, Ken Fowser. Gillece also has a cooker of a new album, Walk Of Fire due out mid-month from Posi-Tone Records.
This is the most straight-ahead, unselfconsciously infectious stuff that the prolific, often ambitiously eclectic Gillece has come up with since his days with Fowser. The title track, a terse, brisk swing shuffle, opens the album. Listen closely to pianist Adam Birnbaum’s judicious, rhythmic chord clusters and you may get the impression that the song was originally written for Rhodes. Or maybe that’s just what vibraphonists come up with. Trombonist Michael Dease contributes a leapfrogging solo, and then the high-powered frontline – also comprising trumpeter Bruce Harris and tenor player Walt Weiskopf – are out.
Fantasia Brasileira, true to its title, is an easygoing bossa that Dease takes to New Orleans before Gillece ripples gracefully through the horn section’s big raindrop splashes.. Moodily resonant horns rise over bassist Clovis Nicolas and drummer Jason Tiemann’s blithe, latin-tinged, fingersnapping stroll in Bag’s Mood, Harris taking a low-key turn in the spotlight before the bandleader raises the ante.
Likewise, Dauntless Journey follows a balmy, allusively chromatic tangent out of Gillece’s resonant intro, maintained by Weiskopf, with brief elevation from Dease before the vibraphone subtly alters the groove. Battering Ram gives Weiskopf a launching pad for Weiskopf’s Coltrane-channeling, Dease’s contrasting gruffness and Birnbaum’s precise, rippling attack over quick, punchy, syncopation.
Gillece and Birnbaum blend subtly intertwining lines and then shift into separate lanes in the moody Reflective Current, a quartet number. Something New follows a similarly pensive, waltzing tempo: the point where the vamping grey-sky horns drop out completely makes a tasty jolt to the ears. Specter, a catchy, vamping clave number, features Gillece’s most expansive but purposeful solo in this set and a welcome, tantalizingly brief confrontation between vibes and piano.
Break Tune has a subtle juxtaposition of steady, emphatic swing and allusive melody, echoed by Weiskopf before Gillece goes vamping and Harris spirals triumphantly. Artful metric shifts and Gillece’s rippling staccato raise the vamps of the concluding tune, Celestial Tidings above the level of generic. Marc Free’s production is characteristically crisp: the lows on System Two’s concert grand piano cut through as much as every flick of the cymbals.http://republicofjazz.blogspot.com/2017/11/behn-gillece-walk-of-fire-posi-tone.html

foobar2000 1.3.9 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2018-08-02 09:12:16
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Analyzed: Behn Gillece / Walk Of Fire
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DR         Peak         RMS     Duration Track
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DR8       -0.97 dB   -10.69 dB      4:59 01-Walk Of Fire
DR8       -0.97 dB   -11.74 dB      5:16 02-Fantasia Brasileira
DR8       -0.97 dB   -11.03 dB      6:06 03-Bag's Mood
DR8       -0.97 dB   -11.51 dB      5:12 04-Dauntless Journey
DR8       -0.97 dB   -11.39 dB      5:41 05-Battering Ram
DR9       -0.97 dB   -12.74 dB      6:56 06-Reflective Current
DR8       -0.97 dB   -11.88 dB      4:50 07-Something New
DR8       -0.97 dB   -10.67 dB      6:36 08-Specter
DR9       -0.97 dB   -11.40 dB      6:36 09-Break Tune
DR9       -0.97 dB   -11.44 dB      5:59 10-Celestial Tidings
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Number of tracks:  10
Official DR value: DR8
Samplerate:        88200 Hz
Channels:          2
Bits per sample:   24
Bitrate:           2846 kbps
Codec:             FLAC
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