Review by George W. Harris :: Jazz Weekly

Sophisticated Lady Jazz Quartet CD CoverReview by George W. Harris in Jazz Weekly

If you miss the sounds of vintage 50s Miles Davis recordings, here’s a treat for you. The team of JJ Kirkpatrick/tp-fh, Misha Adair Bigos/p, Gary Wicks/b and Andrew Boyle/dr mix standards and originals that have the feel of a Miles Davis quartet session just before Coltrane blew into town. Kirkpatrick’s got a nice clean and warm sound, displayed well on “I’m Old Fashioned,” but he can also make it deliver some emotion as he has it cry on Bigos’ “Ropes of Sand” and sigh on Ellington’s “Sophisticated Lady.” Bigos himself has soft hands on “Night Night” and drives like a trucker on his chiming “Finale.” The rhythm team can go languid and melancholy during “Weightless” and can purr like a kitten on a rich take of Ellington’s “Isfahan.” No changed worlds here, but definitely a friendlier one.

by  •  Review  in Jazz Weekly