Review: Hailing from Azerbaijan and now residing in Holland, pianist Amina Figarova’s 2008 release is partly about musical muscle, wondrously blended with eloquence and finesse. Here, trumpeters/flugelhornists Nico Schepers and Ernie Hammes alternate duties and coalesce on two works, to round-out the flute, piano, saxes and trombone frontline. With brisk and spicy arrangements, Figarova imparts a flair for melody-making through knotty choruses and when the band soars to the red zone.
Flutist Bart Platteau often injects an airy edge into the largely, upfront horns section, whereas the band attains that groove quotient throughout. Sure enough, it’s a jaunty endeavor, including lush balladry on the harmonically resplendent “Above The Clouds,” which is based on words of wisdom iterated by Figarova’s mother. And in other regions of the album, the musicians spawn blithe swing vamps, abetted by gobs of pizzazz and strategically placed dynamics.
Figarova’s piano phrasings are rhythmically seductive. She executes with buoyancy amid a few nods to the Bill Evans School. In effect, she’s an accelerator and then traffic director as she toggles the momentum through driving and snappy passages and temperate flows. While several movements contained within, are engineered upon ascending motifs and layered horns. Yet on “Blue Wonder,” the ensemble characterizes the classic ‘60s Blue Note Records sound via a medium-tempo swing and the soloists’ sprightly choruses. Overall, Figarova’s ambitious musical mindset yields fruitful results during the preponderance of this highly imaginative session that merits repeated spins.
Tracks: 'A’ Dance, Ernie’s Song, Above the Clouds, Sharp Corners, Bedtime Story, Nico’s Dream, Summer Rain, Sailing Through the Icy Waters, River of Mountains (Muhheakunnuk), Blue Wonder, Chicago Split, Reminiscing
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