In The Moment

Album review

On this 2006 date (his debut for the Shanachie imprint), Everette Harp not only blows his saxophone (alto, soprano, and tenor), but he does much of the drum and keyboard programming, he produced it, and he composed six of the set's ten tracks. He also enlisted a stellar cast of likeminded performers to assist him: George Duke, Michael White (the drummer), Jonathan Butler, and David Mann, just to name a few. While there are some notable cuts by Chuck Loeb (whose two contributions bookend the set), Harp's tunes -- settling around the middle of the disc -- are the defining ones. The midtempo ballad "In the Moment" features his reedy soprano singing above the rhythm tracks and a killer little piano run by Duke; the sentimental "L.V. Shuffle" has the soul groove down, with Harp digging like Wilton Felder into a phrase and repeating it for effect; and the midtempo funk number "Holla" is rooted in bluesy feeling and a muscular attack. Harp has taken from his mentor, David Sanborn, the ability to distill and sustain a tune's emotional content to its core. He understands that "chops" are not necessarily about moving all over the horn, but in finding the right place in a tune and bringing that to the listener full-bore. He may no longer have the attention of a label like Blue Note, but he is making some of the best music of his career thus far.
© Thom Jurek /TiVo