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Artist |
Martin Taylor |
| Title |
Nitelife |
| Label |
Columbia Records |
| Reviewer |
Richard Proplesch |
| Rating |
 |
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British jazz guitarist Martin Taylor has carefully
cultivated his craft as one of the world’s premiere bop
fretmen. His crisp, articulate technique and
breathtaking modal moves have been inspiring other
guitar players to reach back into the history of jazz
for insights and style. Like his heroes Tal Farlow and
Jim Hall, the bulk of Taylor’s work features straight-
ahead playing with small ensembles that emphasize his
complex-but-lyrical approach. Yet, it is his solo work
that stands as most effective, a daunting mixture of
back-and-forth rhythmic backgrounds blended with single-
note sprees that are the essence of the instrument and
Taylor’s tour de force. That said, Taylor’s
collaboration with pop saxist Kirk Whalum on four of
Nitelife’s ten cuts are the proverbial dumb-down that go
with such attempts at crossing into the mainstream.
Luckily, Taylor’s handiwork is so high caliber, even
those smooth-tho-lacklustre grooves swing under his
leadership. In fact, it would hard to find a more
sensitive, soulful version of Earth, Wind &
Fire’s “That’s The Way Of The World” given the long
stretches of octave chording and bluesy licks that
Taylor brings to the classic, even with the usual
digital programming drivel as backing.
Taylor’s skill at
turning the laid-back flow of Whalum’s adult
contemporary work back into the jazz realm, I’m even
willing to waive my usual “wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing”
logic for the bop/trip hop blend that makes up
their “Beboptism” and the afterhours feel of the title
cut.
On his own, Taylor is nothing less than
exceptional. Just the way he twists phrases for just
that right pause during “I Get Along Without You Very
Well” (a pointed title, considering the rest of the
album), should be a revelation among guitarists. Every
one that seriously picks the instrument up should listen
to this.
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© 2001 AMZ/music-reviewer.com
Robert R. Lewis
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