Change of Season

Chronique

Whether he was being employed as a sideman in Chick Corea's Origin or featuring Geoff Keezer on some of his own albums, Tim Garland has enjoyed a healthy rapport with pianists. The British reedman has given the impression that he is well aware of the important role that saxophonist/pianist relationships have played in jazz -- relationships like John Coltrane and McCoy Tyner, Dexter Gordon and Barry Harris, or Corea and Joe Farrell. But what happens when Garland decides to record without a pianist? In the case of Change of Season, going pianoless works enjoyably well for Garland -- who is joined by Paul Bollenback (acoustic and electric guitar), John Patitucci (acoustic and electric bass) and Gary Novak (drums). In fact, the lack of a piano isn't an issue for Garland or anyone else in this cohesive post-bop quartet. No one will accuse the saxman/clarinetist of inundating listeners with beaten-to-death warhorses; most of the tunes are Garland originals, and even the two songs that he didn't write (Corea's "Inner Space" and Coltrane's "Tunji") haven't been beaten to death. Garland is not only an appealing soloist; he is also a thoughtful composer, and that thoughtfulness comes through on "The Food of Love," "First Rain" and "Piece of Our Time" as well as the melancholy "To a Discarded Doll." Another highlight of this CD is "Crawler," a Michael Brecker-ish item that is mysterious yet mildly funky. Some soloists can become inconsistent when they move from one instrument to another, but that is never a problem for Garland; whether he embracing the tenor sax, soprano sax or bass clarinet, Garland gets his emotional points across on this likable, if less than groundbreaking, release.

© Alex Henderson /TiVo