Till We Have Faces

by Gary Thomas

Overview

Saxophonist Gary Thomas' records have been nothing if not provocative. This set, a collection of jazz and pop standards radically reharmonized and annotated rhythmically, is no exception. Thomas assembles a stellar cast on this outing, including guitarist Pat Metheny, pianist Tim Murphy, alternating bassists Anthony Cox and Ed Howard, drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, and percussionist Steve Moss. Thomas' methodology is one of tearing everything out but the tune's original melody and restructuring it from inside. As such, his own reed and woodwind playing and Metheny's guitar in the front line are perfect foils for one another. Metheny leaves his euphoria-driven approach in the wings this time and becomes an impressionist, offering knotty counterpoint on "The Best Thing for You" as Carrington double- and triple-times the band, all the while pushing the syncopation into ever more angular directions. The ripping intro to "Angel Eyes" sounds like an outtake from Interstellar Space. When the band kicks it all the way in, it's a hard bop sprint with a killer bass solo by Cox. The beautiful acoustic guitar intro to "Lush Life" whispers with Thomas' tenor, as the saxophonist offers up one of his most breathtaking and profoundly lyrical performances ever put on tape. His flute playing on Horace Silver's "Peace," along with the rhythmic invention put forth by Moss in the intro, throws the listener when the beat comes kicking back Latin and Thomas moves into high gear. Metheny's comping on this cut, with its distortion, adds depth and edginess to the rhythm section. The set ends with a radically reworked "You Don't Know What Love Is," where the harmonics of the tune get turned inside out and the rhythmic accents shift away form the backbeat time and time again. Murphy's piano is all that holds the tune in place as Thomas and Metheny mutate and re-form it in their own image. This is Thomas' best moment on record thus far, and a casebook example of reinterpreting the jazz genre. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	09/07/2004
Label:	Jmt / Winter & Winter
UPC:	0025091905720
Rank:	147852

Tracks

1. Angel Eyes
2. The Best Thing for You
3. Lush Life
4. Bye Bye Baby
5. Lament
6. Peace
7. It's You or No One
8. You Don't Know What Love Is

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Gary Thomas   Primary Artist,Sax (Soprano),Sax (Tenor),Flute
Anthony Cox   Guest Artist,Bass
Terri Lyne Carrington   Guest Artist,Drums
Pat Metheny   Guest Artist,Guitar
Ed Howard   Bass
Tim Murphy   Piano
Eddy Howard   Bass
Steve Moss   Piano (Electric),Percussion

Technical Credits

Carlos Albrecht   Audio Engineer,Engineer
Stefan Winter   Audio Production,Producer,Packaging
Jule Styne   Composer
Billy Strayhorn   Composer
Matt Dennis   Composer
Hiroshi Itsuno   Executive Producer
Leo Robin   Composer
Sammy Cahn   Composer
Chris Albert   Assistant,Digital Mixing,Digital Recording
Guenter Mattei   Cover Design
Adrian von Ripka   Mastering
Warren Linn   Illustrations
Thomas Schmid   Engineer,Digital Mastering
Cheung Ching Ming   Photography
Earl Brent   Composer
Horace Silver   Composer
Don Raye   Composer
Gary Thomas   Performer,Producer
J.J. Johnson   Composer
Irving Berlin   Composer
Gene DePaul   Composer