On her seventh outing as a leader, flutist-composer Andrea Brachfeld is accompanied by a stellar crew in pianist Bill O’Connell (who also shares her affinity for Latin jazz), master bassist Rufus Reid and veteran drummer Winard Harper. Together they interpret several familiar tunes and Brachfeld originals, each distinguished by the flutist’s rich, flowing lines and bold improvisational instincts.
Their take on Billy Strayhorn’s moody jazz classic ‘Lotus Blossom” is marked by a contrapuntal dialogue throughout between Brachfeld and Reid. O’Connell also pushes the harmonic fabric of the gentle but slightly melancholic piece on his brilliant solo here. Their Latinized take on Strayhorn’s “A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing” is equally compelling.
Herbie Mann’s landmark “Memphis Underground” is given an ultra-funky treatment here, courtesy of guest Wycliffe Gordon’s sousaphone groove in combination with Harper’s authentic second-line pulse. Brachfeld and O’Connell turn in torrid performances on the flutist’s uptempo burner “Changin’ Up,” and the quartet hits an appealing accord on George Shearing’s breezy swinger “Conception.” Vocalist Nancy Harms guests on the joyful closer “Queen Girl.”
– Bill Mikowski, Downbeat magazine