Hank Shteamer about Revis/Davis/Cyrille at WinterJazzFest New York
my favorite sets at the festival […] were unadorned, acoustic, lacking in any particular eye-catching hook. They were just about sensitive, in-the-moment interaction; they were about listening; they represented very different aesthetics, but they all, in one way or another, conformed to some relatively well-established, historically proven way of playing jazz.
1) The trio of pianist Kris Davis, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Andrew Cyrille at Zinc Bar on Friday. An extraordinarily sensitive set, that built from a hush to a subtle dance then back to a hush. It seems silly to say that the appeal here was the sound, but that’s the only way I can think to put it. All three players were considering the sounds they were producing in relation to the sounds the others were producing. It’s an obvious idea, but less commonly illustrated in practice than you’d think. Cyrille, master of timbre and touch dictated the pace (unhurried) and the focus level (extreme), but no one was really the star; or in another sense, everyone was. It was free jazz, but without any of the chest-thumping or catharsis. It was “out,” but it was not self-consciously weird. It moved along as it pleased, but with real narrative intrigue. I would love to hear this band again soon
An apt title for music with this many angles and ideas
Britt Robson (eMusic) about Parallax (****)
It’s almost a shame Eric Revis is still best known as the longstanding bassist for the Branford Marsalis Quartet, because his own projects have been consistently meaty, masterful and stylistically multi-faceted. Parallax — his third disc as a leader, not counting the trio Tarbaby — is a bold, star-infused quartet date that deserves to be heard above all the year-end list-making hoopla surrounding its release.
Revis emerges as the guiding force among such dominant sidemen as pianist Jason Moran, Ken Vandermark on tenor and clarinet, and Nasheet Waits in the drummer’s chair (…)
A “parallax” describes the displacement of an object viewed along two different lines of sight — an apt title for music with this many angles and ideas.
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Music and More review of Parallax by Tim Niland
Bassist Eric Revis has played with Branford Marsalis among many other luminaries in the jazz world. On this album, he leads a fascinating inside-outside band full of star power: Jason Moran on piano, Ken Vandermark on saxophone and clarinet and Nasheet Waits on drums. The musicians pulling in opposite directions could have made for a mess, but far from it, the group plays with a powerful muscularity that makes for a particularly hard-hitting album that comes off as an example of hard-bop for the 21st century. (…)
This was a fine album, with some of the best players on the modern jazz scene playing solid originals and a couple of unexpected originals.
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JazzWrap review of Parallax by Stephan Moore
So I’m really writing this as I listen. I’m so excited that I wanted to immediately start talking about this record. Four incredible musicians on the scene today. And two of my favourite musicians of the modern era (Vandermark and Moran) joining forces under the direction of Eric Revis to create a cinematic and powerful document of free jazz.
This really unbelievable line-up formed in 2009 briefly for a few shows in New York before actually putting pen to chart in the studio. But the results of this session, Parallax, are some of the best you will have heard all year. (…)
Eric Revis doesn’t have a lot titles as leader. He is widely known as an essential band member. But with Parallax, Revis has entered the realm of significant composer. This session is simply outstanding and should not be missed by any jazz fan; you don’t get a set of musicians together like this in today’s modern scene. Don’t miss out. Parallax is one of the best records of the year. Highly Recommended!
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