The reviewing equivalent of this publication\u2019s Blindfold Test is to listen to an album knowing only the title and name of its leader. Taking that approach with veteran drummer Joe Chambers\u2019 Landscapes, one is introduced to a vibraphone-driven four-piece unit \u00e0 la the Modern Jazz Quartet. It\u2019s a lush ambiance, full of complexity and color.<\/p>\n
A slinky version of Monk\u2019s \u201cEpistrophy\u201d opens this dynamic album, and is followed by Horace Silver\u2019s \u201cThe Outlaw,\u201d which showcases a thoughtfully developed piano solo. Thee sustained vibraphone on \u201cNever Let Me Go\u201d emphasizes the lyrical themes of holding on and the potential pain of loss.<\/p>\n
Chambers\u2019 strength as a composer is reinforced on \u201cSamba De Maracatu,\u201d which boasts standout solos by Chambers himself. Paul Arslanian\u2019s lovely \u201cPas De Trois,\u201d Sonny Rollins\u2019 \u201cAiregin,\u201d another Silver number (\u201cEcaroh\u201d) and Karl Ratzer\u2019s \u201cUnderground System\u201d\u2014rechristened \u201cUnderground (Railroad) System\u201d\u2014follow. Chambers generously allows the pianist to conclude the album with a solo reading of the title track.<\/p>\n
Upon delving into the accompanying material, the big reveal is that this is actually a trio date with Chambers overdubbing the tuned percussion as well as all the other non-rhythm section instruments. And the nearly 10-minute solo piano number? That\u2019s Chambers, too.<\/p>\n
Landscapes sounds like the fluid live studio recording of four or more musicians, so it\u2019s impressive on multiple levels. \u2014Yoshi Kat<\/p>\n
Landscapes:<\/strong> Epistrophy; The Outlaw; Never Let Me Go; Havana; Samba De Maracatu; Pas De Trois; Airegin; Ecaroh; Underground (Railroad) System; Landscapes. (59:58) The reviewing equivalent of this publication\u2019s Blindfold Test is to listen to an album knowing only the title and name of its leader. Taking that approach with veteran drummer Joe Chambers\u2019 Landscapes, one is introduced to a vibraphone-driven four-piece unit \u00e0 la the Modern Jazz Quartet. It\u2019s a lush ambiance, full of complexity and color. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88889,"featured_media":0,"parent":31,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-312","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.josephachambers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/312"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.josephachambers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.josephachambers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.josephachambers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/88889"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.josephachambers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=312"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.josephachambers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":316,"href":"https:\/\/www.josephachambers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/312\/revisions\/316"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.josephachambers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/31"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.josephachambers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nPersonnel:<\/strong> Joe Chambers, drums, congas, bongos, vibraphone, marimba, synthasizer, piano (10); Rick Germanson, piano (1-9); Ira Coleman, bass (1-9),
\nOrdering info:<\/strong> JazzDepot.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"