On the Verge comes eight years after
Unity and a full decade since
Adonis Rose's debut
Song for Donise.
Rose recorded this, his third album, in 2004. In the album's liner notes, he said that, at the time of the recording, he felt he was "on the verge of doing something new and creative." The product doesn't sound like a musician on the precipice of any great musical breakthrough; instead, it's a string of solid straight-ahead tracks and pleasant, contemporary mid-tempo tunes.
Rose's chops, however, have seasoned and his writing (he penned four of the eight cuts) has tightened. He brought his crew -- trumpeter
Nicholas Payton saxophonist
Tim Warfield and bassist
Reuben Rogers -- with him, too. Only
Anthony Wonsey is missing from the former quintet that toured and recorded extensively together.
Payton,
Warfield and
Rogers use this familiarity to turn in stalwart performances where the entertainment is found in the interplay between old friends, since there aren't many virtuoso solos or theatrics on this date. An otherwise pedestrian straight-ahead album, however, is sparked by the addition of
Warren Wolf on vibes, adding an interesting texture to many of the songs; and pianist
Aaron Goldberg, who not only takes several expressive solos, but brought "Shed" to the session. Here,
Rogers cuts down on the bass-walking and supplies a slick groove that
Warfield,
Payton and
Goldberg take for short, efficient solos before
Rose takes his turn and unleashes on the drums. The title track is some good ol' nouveau hard bop, with each musician playing as fast and furious as they can. This album is good, but not great, jazz, and since
Rose hasn't appeared on any recordings in the past three years, one can only speculate as to whether whatever he was on the verge of in 2004 has come to musical fruition. ~ Vincent Thomas