PAPATAMUS REDUX

TIGER TURN  (NO RECORDING DATE)

Too often, musicians sacrifice taste for technique. Not the case on Beatitude, the latest release from alto saxophonist David Bixler.  Bixler and a trio he has recorded with for the past several years (Jon Cowherd on piano, Ike Sturm on bass and Rogerio Boccato on drums) show refreshing restraint as they work through eight Bixler originals. Simple melodies ebb and flow as Bixler and the trio create a recording that is both spiritual and spirited. A perfect example of that contrast is “Power Deferred,” a tune that starts with Bixler’s angular playing augmented with Cowherd’s staccato shards before morphing into a calming ballad and thoughtful solos. Boccato’s somber drum introduction to “I Spy,” provides the cushion on which Bixler builds a plaintive solo in the manner of John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter. The four-note motif of “Lost Hours? No,” shifts into a compelling musical conversation between Bixler, Sturm and Boccato.  Upon listening to Beatitude, pianist and band leader Arturo O’Farrill commented, “If you don’t hear joy, wonderment and faith you should probably be practicing joy, wonderment and faith.” Whether the tunes are meditative in nature as in “Balm,” Latin infused as in “Peace Prize” or angular as in “Clement,” Beatitude is built on simple and compelling melodies thoughtful and articulate solos and a mission to deliver music that is true, pure and inspired.

BOTTOM LINE:  This understated recording makes a huge statement about the patient restraint saxophonist David Bixler and this quartet demonstrate as they explore the richness and subtleties of eight originals in which simple melodies evolve into jazz treasures.