As a musician, Jamie Saft is not easy to pin down. Each of
his ventures can and no doubt should be considered without comparison to any
previous recording, composition, or performance for that matter. Saft’s consistent inconsistency characterizes
the breadth of his musicianship on keyboards, acoustic piano and electric
guitar. Exposing unexpected contexts for well-known songs, compositions, and
his own music puts him in that label-less zone that frustrates clear perceptions
of him, but which also keeps him out of sedentary, stale ruts that are so often
carved out by other musicians.
New Zion Trio is described on Saft’s Veal Records website as
“bringing together three masters of Reggae and Jazz musics for the first time
in a unique piano trio setting straight from Kingston [NY] Yard.” With Saft on piano and Fender Rhodes,
Larry Grenadier on acoustic bass and Craig Santiago on drums are created a laid
back, totally listenable set of tracks. Each track title has a metaphorical
twist in keeping with the record’s title, Fight
Against Babylon.
Nothing less than rhythmic, the music is fluid and
comfortable. It varies from the serious and pensive to the most airy and pleasurable.
The music is essentially timeless. Yet, swinging from one character to another,
it is still one line. As keyboard artist, with great flair, Saft exercises superb
fingering techniques to fill out his melodic constructions with trills,
arpeggios, scalar runs or progressions. The left and right hands balance each
other: there is more treble tone than bass, whether or not he plays piano,
Fender Rhodes or both simultaneously, inside and out. His stellar phrasing has
as much to do with his innate, acute sense of time as with the solid sonic backbone
provided by the pizz phrasing and lines from bassist Grenadier or hi-hat,
cymbal, stick to snare edge to skin and occasionally to tom combinations from drummer
Santiago.
Fight Against Babylon invites
and proves true the notion that Saft is a straight-forward, no bullshit
musician. He can do anything he wants to and he does.
Track listing:
Slow Down Furry Dub; Niceness; The Red Dies; Gates; I hear Jah; IShense; Lost Dub; Fire Blaze.
Personnel:
Jamie Saft: piano, Fender Rhodes; Larry Grenadier: bass; Craig Santiago: drums.
copyright 2012 Lyn Horton
Track listing:
Slow Down Furry Dub; Niceness; The Red Dies; Gates; I hear Jah; IShense; Lost Dub; Fire Blaze.
Personnel:
Jamie Saft: piano, Fender Rhodes; Larry Grenadier: bass; Craig Santiago: drums.
copyright 2012 Lyn Horton
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