December avenue

Description

Four years after Wislawa, a major album, the New York quartet of the great Polish trumpeter returns with a remarkable recording. As the insightful leader he is, Stanko pushes the essence of improvisation to flourish around characteristic themes of melancholic and soulful inspiration. And all the musicians are more than at their best. Newly arrived in this formation, Reuben Rogers - from the Virgin Islands and known for his work alongside Charles Lloyd - is a great find and establishes a deep rapport with the Cuban-born pianist, David Virelles, as well as with the drummer Gerald Cleaver, who hails from Detroit. After seeing the group in concert, JazzTimes magazine emphasized the power of each individuality: "Stanko has never had a pianist like Virelles. In each of his interventions, he imprints his own lyricism on Stanko's aesthetic. Stanko has never had a bassist and a drummer like Rogers and Cleaver, both very angular and with contagious energy." December Avenue was recorded at the Buissonne studios in the south of France and was produced by Manfred Eicher.