Alex Goodman Quartet
Roots
Self-released, 2007
By Jake Shenker
Jazz has come a long way since ragtime and bebop, but when you’re playing a genre of music that’s been around for a century, it’s hard to do something fresh. Short of reinventing the wheel, is there anything modern jazz players can do to differentiate themselves from their predecessors?
Of course. Jazz has been transformed more times than I can count, and it’s far from over. The proof is in the Alex Goodman Quartet’s new record Roots.
Goodman is a unique kind of jazz musician. He’s a stellar guitarist and pianist, and has played with — and learned from — all kinds of artists across the globe, from India to Barcelona and back to Canada. Roots is his first effort with a quartet and the record proves that Alex Goodman is not only a competent player, but also a talented songwriter.
The record begins with the smooth piano waltz of “Bloom,” but before you can pigeonhole this tune, the groove jumps into a quick, sax-led swing. Sax player Jonathan Kay is a perfect complement to Goodman’s light touch on the piano, and bassist Justin Gray and drummer Josh Park blend seamlessly underneath. Though the multiple time signature shifts in this opening track are a bit erratic, it’s a strong composition that showcases the group’s chemistry. These guys are tight.
“The Cantus” really gets the album going, kicking off with a slick bass groove before quickly moving into a dissonant, stop-time sax lick. Just after the piano harmony enters, the tune shifts away from funk and into a sparse, Miles-esque sax melody. Goodman’s writing style here is a perfect blend of subtle and memorable motives; his melodies aren’t over the top, but they’re far from two-note modal licks.
With Goodman playing piano on the first three tracks and guitar on the following four, Roots feels a bit like a double-sided LP — and side B really picks up. A bass and guitar lick launches a hypnotic version of Joe Henderson’s “Recordame” (which features Goodman’s first guitar solo on this disc), and saxophonist Kay roars on the hard-bop influenced “Nihilism.” Goodman returns to the keys for the album closer “Winter:” a meandering ballad that feels a bit out of place on the feistier, guitar-tinged side B (but would fit in nicely as the third or fourth track).
Despite a few slow moments, Roots is a solid record made by some very talented musicians — the Alex Goodman Quartet has more chemistry than most, and their playing is first-rate. With plenty of great melodies and tasteful solos, Goodman’s compositions set a high standard for quartet-based modern jazz. He’s by no means reinventing the wheel, but he’s doing a damn good job at keeping it rolling.
