Seamus Blake

Deepening a two-tenor partnership that dates back to the mid-'90s, saxophonists Seamus Blake and Chris Cheek follow up their quintet release "Reeds Ramble" (Criss 1364) with Let's Call the Whole Thing Off, featuring the same powerful band lineup (Ethan Iverson on piano, Matt Penman on bass, Jochen Rueckert on drums).

While they stand apart as gifted soloists, Blake and Cheek always flourish as a team, bringing luster to every tune with their lyrical unison melodies and beautifully harmonized theme statements. Spontaneity plays a big role, as it should when improvisers of this caliber get together (Iverson's versatility and off-kilter eloquence comes through with particular strength).

But foremost, what distinguishes this group is the logic and efficiency of its arrangements, whether slow and spacious or brisk and complex; from originals and modernist classics to standards of '20s and '30s vintage.

PERSONNEL:

SEAMUS BLAKE, tenor sax
CHRIS CHEEK, tenor sax
ETHAN IVERSON, piano
MATT PENMAN, bass
JOCHEN RUECKERT, drums

New York, September 10, 2015

TRACKS:

01. Let's Call The Whole Thing Off
02. Choro Blanco
03. Lunar
04. La Canción Que Falta
05. Limehouse Blues
06. Surfboard
07. Count Your Blessings
08. A Little Evil