Harmonious Soul Scenes 2000 – Karlton Hester and Hesterian Musicism

Album review

Karlton Hester draws on a wealth of saxophone tradition in his muscular, fluid sound on tenor sax, but he is just as compelling on flute and piccolo, as he shows on this extremely interesting album. Hester's seven- to nine-piece, piano-less ensemble is an effective vehicle for his compositions, which incorporate subtle and hard-hitting percussion and lengthy solos. Hester knows how to write for strings and horns, combining chamber aesthetics with complex harmonic interplay. His colleagues are uniformly superb, from the stunning Miles-like trumpet of Bill Johnson to the sinewy strings of cellist Sera Smolen to the focused bass of Phil Bowler. Most of the tracks are long, yet the solos hold the listener's interest throughout. The missing piano, coupled with extra percussion, allows the soloists to venture out freely, yet the performances are firmly rooted in a post-Coltrane, post-bop aesthetic. There are few concessions to abstraction, with highly effective improvisations the norm. As an arranger, Hester displays an original vision, as he carefully frames his pieces to emphasize the individual strengths of his band members.
© Steven Loewy /TiVo