In the Spur of the Moment,
Steve Turre's debut release for Telarc Jazz, is a technically precise and elegant musical adventure through three jazz styles in which
Steve Turre expresses his musical personalities in a quartet setting. In the first setting, he plays the blues in jazz with the legendary
Ray Charles on piano, Peter Turre on drums, and Peter Washington on bass. The section features two original compositions by
Steve titled "Ray's Collard Greens," an authentic 12-bar blues, and "Duke Rays," a song based on
Duke Ellington's "In a Mellow Tone," for which
Steve uses
Ellington's changes but has written a new melody. "Misty" and "The Way You Look Tonight" round out the section, but are featured with the same approach to the blues. The second section of
In the Spur of the Moment features
Stephen Scott on piano in a modern and modal setting. His third musical setting stars Turre and Chucho Valdes playing Afro-Cuban sounds in a set that also features Peter Turre on drums,
Buster Williams on bass,
Jack DeJohnette on drums, Andy Gonzalez on bass, and the great,
Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez on drums and percussion. This section shows Turre at his zenith as an assured leader and sensitive collaborator with exciting accompaniment by
Chucho plus the string quartet, and
Quartette Indigo on "Claudia."
In the Spur of the Moment concludes with an exciting finale that features Turre putting his brilliant trombone and shell skills to the test on the exciting jam, "Descarga Ahora." This CD is an glowing example of
Steve Turre's exceptional finesse in the many styles of jazz. ~ Paula Edelstein