Out In Front
Larry Bond Quartet
Independent (www.larrybondtrio.com)
A little over a year ago we reviewed a CD by the Larry Bond Trio. Now they are back, but they have grown to a quartet. The original three members, Larry Bond on piano, Bob Mills on bass and Richard Moore on drums have been joined by Bruce Redstone on saxophones. As with their earlier CD, if you enjoy good quality relaxed jazz, this could be for you.
Unlike the earlier trio CD, which was a mix of standards and lesser known numbers, on this CD all selections are original compositions by Larry Bond. Although all numbers were new to my ears, they are all very accessible. I could easily have imagined lyrics being written for many of the tunes. The addition of Bruce Redstone’s sax stylings provides a greater variety of colours than the earlier CD. Since all tracks were new, it was almost impossible to tell when the members were playing the charts and when they were improvising. There is a good variety of rhythms including a few up tempo numbers, but they are never in the frantic category. Recording quality is excellent with a crisp, clean bass line and smooth sax work in all registers. In addition to his musical talents, Bruce Redstone provided all of the photography and art work for this CD.
