Dream Travels

Album review

The bassoon may well be the most difficult instrument to conquer. If not the most difficult, then certainly in the top five. The classical repertoire for the instrument is limited, the most well-known works being by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Vivaldi. This double-reed instrument is known for its rich, sonorous bottom and a plaintive, bordering-on-exotic high. The use of the bassoon in jazz has been occasional. Paul Whiteman started using it in his orchestra as early as the '20s to help create an audience for so-called symphonic jazz. Other well-known jazz artists who have used it in various scenarios include Illinois Jacquet and Frank Tiberi. Janet Grice is one of the very few, in addition to Michael Rabinowitz, who have used the bassoon regularly as a jazz instrument, or perhaps better put, have played it in a jazz setting. Grice also shows considerable skill with the recorder on an upbeat "Paraty." But most of the cuts on this, her fourth CD, are hard to differentiate from what would be heard in a classical musical context, albeit modern classical, such as on "Affinity," which makes effective use of staccato drums and percussion. These prove to be an interesting contrast to the sonority of the bassoon. Brazilian rhythms seem to be susceptible to be played by the bassoon, as on a lilting "A Felicidade," with drums providing a cushion over which the bassoon floats. Grice plays with expertise, expression, and enthusiasm. But try as she might, Grice cannot shed the instrument of its classical underpinning. It just doesn't swing. This is fine chamber jazz, but doesn't extend much further than that style. Recommended for those who like to indulge themselves in the warmth of the rich, rapturous, and resonant.
© Dave Nathan /TiVo