Bill Cantrall: Axiom
Bill Cantrall
Axiom (UpSwing)
www.billcantrall.com
Rating: 
Trombonist Bill Cantrall comes from the old school. For his debut recording as a leader, Cantrall has written a set of original hard-bop and post-bop tunes that replace contemporary noodling with the directness of an earlier generation, and assembled a crack septet that knows how to treat those grooves right.
The title track kicks off with a coolly driving theme that would have been right at home on a Woody Shaw album in the 1970s, showing the rich harmonies, strong sense of modernist swing and relaxed heat that typifies the album as a whole.
But while the writing is dynamic, Cantrall himself is not a flashy player. He tends to spin straightforward lines at a thoughtful pace, even when the band is burning. He can pick it up, as in his bopping solo on “Tangerine,” but Cantrall sounds most at home on the album’s slower numbers.
This polarity is further illustrated near the end of the album, where the tune “Maker’s” is presented in two back-to-back versions, at differing tempos. Each works, but for a different reason — the faster take for its Art Blakey-inspired rhythmic punch, the slower for its relaxed, comfortable horn solos.
On burners and ballads alike, the strength of this album lies in Cantrall’s original compositions, several of which sound like lost classics. It’s that natural freshness within the tradition that makes this highly promising debut such a pleasing success.
Filed Under: CD Reviews
