HOLISTIC MUSICWORKS 23 (RELEASED OCTOBER 21, 2024)
How many jazz albums can you name with the number seven in it? I can only think of two — Miles Davis’ “Seven Steps to Heaven” and Herb Ellis/Joe Pass’ “Seven Come Eleven.” With his latest release, trumpeter Brian Lynch adds one more to that list — 7X7BY7. Why all the sevens? It’s a recording that features seven tunes, each played in seven minutes, by seven musicians! Lynch was intrigued by the number seven for several reasons — seven days in the week, the number of notes in the diatonic major and minor scale and the mystical significance of the number. However, there is nothing mystical about the music. It’s a combination of the hardbop and Afro-Cuban music that Lynch has been exploring since his early days in New York City when he was member of the Horace Silver band while playing in several area Afro-Cuban bands. Like the groups of Horace Silver, the band on 7X7BY7 is small and powerful thanks to soulful sounds of saxophonist Craig Handy, the fleet stylings of pianist Luis Perdomo, the solid timekeeping of bassist Boris Kozlov and the bluesy riffs of guitarist Alex Wintz. Drummer Kyle Swan and percussionist Murph Aucamp add the Afro-Cuban flavor to the seven selections. The intertwining voicings of Lynch and Handy start off most of the tunes followed by bold and expertly played solos from all players. As a result, the seven tunes tend to blend together. With that said, if you enjoy the soulful sounds of Horace Silver and the energy of Afro-Cuban music, you will not be disappointed by all 49 minutes of 7X7BY7. By the way, 49 is the square of seven!
BOTTOM LINE: Trumpeter Brian Lynch had an idea to record seven tunes by seven players, with each tune lasting seven minutes. 7X7BY7 is the result. Unfortunately, despite some excellent solos from band members, seven tunes all featuring the same formula of combining the soulful sounds of Horace Silver bands with the rhythms of Afro-Cuban bands, doesn’t add up for me.
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