Abundance

1	Plan B 6:04
2	Talkative Tucker 5:49
3	The Very Thought Of You 4:15
4	Warring Spirits/ The Fruit of the Spirit/ (Out of) The Abundance ... 10:06
5	Bata Interlude 0:51
6	Nene's Way 5:42
7	Inconoclasm 8:21
8	Nebulosity 7:40
9	Educated Guesswork 4:55

Barnes & Noble

Gregory Tardy’s saxophone has a lean, reedy sound. He tends to stay up at the higher end of the register, and favors twisty, sinewy lines in his solos. Abundance passes through a variety of moods, but there is an overriding concern throughout for the spiritual. “Warring Spirits” a ten-minute original suite with sections named after selections from the Bible, is a highlight, and it is clearly influenced by the mystical, Eastern-tinged sound of John Coltrane’s “classic quartet” from the mid-'60s. It is fascinating to hear a player of Tardy’s stature return to this era nearly 40 years later. He has the elements of the ensemble style down -- slow, chantlike, repeated melodies building up to long, whipping ribbons of sound, cymbal-heavy percussion, odd chromatic intervals on the piano, and a thumping, meditative bass. There is also something elusive and new here, which ensures that the playing is no mere reproduction of the past but a creative mulling-over of a spiritual heritage. The suite closes elegantly with a short, lovely solo on the exotic bata drums. The remainder of the album is similarly sophisticated and consistently satisfying. “The Very Thought of You” is the only real standard, and Tardy treats this venerable ballad with careful delicacy. In “Nene’s Way” he takes up the clarinet for a bright, cheerful solo, which trickles and flits through snatches of melody. Numbers like “Talkative Tucker” and “Nebulosity” have a more contemporary quality -- fast, tricky melodies that provide Tardy and his band a vehicle to show off their chops. This is an impressive outing from a player unafraid to explore elements of the past and the avant-garde, with highly listenable results. Will Meyerhofer

All Music Guide

Tenor saxophonist Gregory Tardy continues to rise in prominence as both a sideman and a leader. His fourth solo outing (and his first on the Palmetto label) features a dazzling quartet, with George Colligan on piano, Sean Conly on bass, and Woody Williams on drums and percussion. Altoist Miguel Zenon makes an appearance (and solos first) on the raucous opener, "Plan B." As has been the case on Tardy's previous albums, there's a pronounced religious theme, particularly in the written acknowledgements and on "Warring Spirits," a three-part suite inspired by specific biblical passages. Consisting of a polyrhythmic, vamp-based improvisation sandwiched between two rubato sections, the suite is played with tremendous emotion but comes across as derivative of Coltrane -- indeed, it's hard to escape Coltrane's shadow when explicitly infusing jazz with a devotional message. Tardy displays far greater originality on his waltz, "Talkative Tucker," and even his reading of "The Very Thought of You," played as a duo with Colligan. He opts for soprano on his Latin-tinged "Iconoclasm" and plays clarinet beautifully on Conly's mysterious 5/4 piece "Nene's Way." Colligan, who threatens to steal the show on nearly every track, contributes the full-tilt "Nebulosity" (which also appeared on his Unresolved album). Tardy's "Educated Guesswork," a sly commentary on "Giant Steps," concludes the program. Despite its flaws, Abundance is a hugely rewarding listen. David R. Adler

Pulse!

A group on the way up.