On Crossing Level, the Rob Van Den Broeck Trio adds saxophonist Gerd Dudek, and the material becomes a multi-dimensional blend of originals and interesting covers for a quartet of this stripe, with its feet firmly in the avant-garde but its heart in the tradition. An example is the opener, "Old Folks," which was featured on Miles Davis' Some Day My Prince Will Come, and the solo Dudek plays here evokes the original by Hank Mobley, at least in terms of its breath and emotion. There is also a gorgeous reading of John Coltrane ...
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On Crossing Level, the Rob Van Den Broeck Trio adds saxophonist Gerd Dudek, and the material becomes a multi-dimensional blend of originals and interesting covers for a quartet of this stripe, with its feet firmly in the avant-garde but its heart in the tradition. An example is the opener, "Old Folks," which was featured on Miles Davis' Some Day My Prince Will Come, and the solo Dudek plays here evokes the original by Hank Mobley, at least in terms of its breath and emotion. There is also a gorgeous reading of John Coltrane's "Expressions" that delves deep into the modal quality of the tune and all but exorcises its Eastern tinge. The interplay between piano and saxophone here is nothing less than remarkable as they trade sevens, eights, and nines and shatter the intervals between modes. There is also an elongated swinging to the bar version of Bobby Troup's "The Meaning of the Blues" that might seem out of place here, but becomes the hinge piece of the album in that Van Den Broeck takes the harmony in the tune and builds upon it, striking a balance between intervallic invention and tonal inquiry that gives the rhythm section lots of room to float and bring home the accents outside the turnarounds. There are many examples of creative spirit here, on almost all tracks, giving this album a delightful pace and feel throughout. This is certainly a pairing that worked in spades. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi
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Add this copy of Crossing Level to cart. $32.68, good condition, Sold by Bookmans rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Tucson, AZ, UNITED STATES, published 1997 by Konnex.
