J.D. Allen
's sophomore release features
Orrin Evans
on piano,
Eric Revis
on bass, and
Gene Jackson
on drums, with trumpeter
Jeremy Pelt
joining on three cuts. Listeners get a generous helping of original compositions -- ten in all, along with a playful closing piece by
Revis
called
"Question."
Allen
's tenor style can come so close to
Blue Note
-era
Wayne Shorter
as to be downright startling, but his writing shows signs of a refreshing originality. At his best, he can conjure moods of subtle and even breathtaking mystery, as on the rubato pieces
"Queen Elisabeth"
and
"Pharoah's Children"
or the dark, oddly constructed
ballads
"The Annex"
"House of Eugene."
He also leads the band into
free
territory on
"So Get Rid of the Midgets and Send in the Giants,"
and swings with gusto on tunes like
"Action Jackson,"
"The Bitter Pill,"
and the opening
"Our Man Revis."
There's no mistaking
's immersion in the more adventurous side of '60s
, but he's clearly beginning to make significant, up-to-date statements of his own. ~ David R. Adler