DownBeat Editor’s Pick: Lori Bell Quartet ‘Brooklyn Dreaming’
January 15, 2016 by 1888media
DownBeat Magazine, the revered bible of jazz, blues and great music beyond category, has anointed ‘Brooklyn Dreaming,’ the mesmerizing new album by Lori Bell Quartet, an Editor’s Pick for January.
“West Coast flutist Lori Bell has been quietly amassing acclaim as a composer and improviser for the past three decades. Daughter of a bandleader father and an accordion-playing mother, she grew up in a music-filled household in Brooklyn. As a youngster, she would take the train to Manhattan to hear jazz in the tiny clubs of Greenwich Village. OnBrooklyn Dreaming, her ninth album, Bell returns to her Big Apple roots for a nine-track program featuring six bold originals and three New York-centric interpretations. Bell’s playing is lithe and energetic, her lines unspooling with ease. But she’s also an improvisational shapeshifter. On “Times Squared,” she transitions seamlessly between rapidly tongued staccato blasts and relaxed legato sighs. On “Streets Of New York,” she skips from hardnosed modal lines to graceful swing motifs with a clean, collected assurance. She is joined on this outing by a formidable ensemble: bassist Katie Theroux, an emerging talent from California; drummer Matt Witek, formerly of the John Pizzarelli Quartet; and pianist Tamir Hendelman, who has performed and recorded with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. The group interprets “Harlem Nocturne,” “52nd Street Theme” and “Nostalgia In Times Square” with a New York state of mind, bringing buoyancy and brio to each tune. Bell’s originals are catchy, fresh and revealing. Throughout the program, her distinct flute voice soars, bearing a distinctly “Brooklyn” accent.” by Brian Zimmerman
Lori Bell Quartet
Brooklyn Dreaming
1. Nostalgia in Times Square (Charles Mingus)
2. Times Squared
3. 52nd Street Theme (Thelonious Monk)
4. Streets of New York
5. Brooklyn Dreaming
6. A Dog on Coney
7. Lower Manhattan
8. 3 Deuce Blues
9. Harlem Nocturne (Earle Hagen)
iTunes | Amazon | Spotify | CD
Lori Bell – C Flute & Alto Flute
Tamir Hendelman – Piano
Katie Thiroux – Bass
Matt Witek – Drums
18//88 