Tony Purrone follows up
The Tonester with another disc featuring his regular trio mates, bassist Dave Anderson and drummer Thierry Arpino. Anderson again lends a funked-up flavor on electric bass, but this time
Purrone switches between electric and acoustic guitars. On all his SteepleChase records thus far,
Purrone has surprised listeners by tackling challenging music from the post-bop/pre-fusion era, including some pointedly non-guitar gems by
Herbie Hancock and
Wayne Shorter. Here,
Purrone turns his attention to
Joe Henderson, delivering insightful readings of "Remember Me" (usually known as "Recordame"), "Black Narcissus," and "Afro Centric."
Wayne Shorter is again represented with the seldom-performed "12 More Bars to Go," and from
Miles Davis comes the most offbeat choice of all, "Petits Machins," from the
Filles de Kilimanjaro album.
Purrone also has an unconventional look at "Blue in Green," "Body and Soul," and vibraphonist
Dave Samuels's complex "After PM." There are times when the sheer busyness of his playing can obscure the depth of his harmonic discoveries. And his acoustic tone here is rather flat and colorless, a disappointment. (Same goes for the record overall;
The Tonester simply sounds better.) But by delving into jazz repertoire played by few (if any) other guitarists,
Purrone broadens your understanding of what the instrument can do. ~ David R. Adler