This album reflects flutist Andrea Brachfeld’s particular fondnesss for bebop, but she is better known as a Latin Jazz artist, even having led her own group in Venezuela for over two years. Besides training at the Manhattan School of Music, she had private instruction with Hubert Laws, Eddie Daniels, and George Coleman. Her initial Latin direction came when she sat in with Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, and also Machito and recorded with Charanaga ’76. Here, she is teamed with Harvie S on bass, Bill O’Connell at the piano, and Jason Tiemann on drums. She offers a group of mainly her own compositions. Brachfeld’s style of playing has blowing strength (as with a shakuhashi) and clarity.
The leading tune is The Listening Song; being of that particular age, I immediately associated the opening phrases with a theme from Rocky & Bullwinkle, the animated television series. It is as fast and energetic as Rocket J.Squirrel (the flying rodentia). Steppin’ picks up the phrase with an 8-bar staccato melody and a series of improvisations. A shift of mood and slower tempo is Creating Space and the following piece, The Silence, reflections of her extended retreat in meditation, although the latter is paradoxically busy, full of bright notes and beats. Rather than an impression, the work suggests the spirited aftermath of her sessions. Tunes as Anima Mea, Movers and Shakers [with the two ascending note lead-in as in the first piece], and Moving Forward are of the same kinetic flow of energy. The only temporary break occurs in track 7, Deeply I Live, with bass introduction to an elongated introspective flute line. Quickly, however, the melody is pulverized and her lyricism is masked by the thickness of drums and piano bebop flurries. Later, a third section permits a slower bass solo and a return to the first section’s lyricism. Indeed, the entire album suffers a lack of balance and variety of arrangement style and form that would maintain listener’s interest. A chance for respite comes close to the end with track 9, The Opening. With quasi classical Japanese feeling at the start, the work seems to develop into a thoughtful ballad but midway threatens to deconstruct; fortunately, it recovers with O’Connell’s piano solo followed by bass improvisation. The concluding track is Amazing Grace, taken in moderate tempo; it has fine interplay, and for me, and a radio DJ or two, is the album’s highlight. ~Dr. Debra Jan Bibel, May 2018, amazon.com