Rating: NNN
After two live releases, Brad Turner takes his small-combo unit back into the studio and reins in some of the improvisational energy emitted on What Is or Question The Answer. Instead, he’s composed eight original pieces specifically for his long-time bandmates – Bruno Hubert on piano, André Lachance on bass and Dylan van der Schyff on drums – to be worked out in a controlled environment.
The results are glossy and manicured, but not always able to ignite in the way his quartet can live. Opening track Scuffle does exactly that with a hot-stepping bop, as Turner’s trumpet is strident and Hubert’s soft piano melodies cool things down. But unlike Scuffle or The Redeye, also on this disc, too many songs become pleasant backgrounds rather than grabbing your ear.
