In the new All About Jazz-New York:
One of saxophonist Myron Walden’s four new albums this year is called To Feel, and indeed, if a single quality stands out in Walden’s music, it is deep and palpable feeling, a big emotional sweep carried off with great finesse by his quintet In This World. In their second set at Jazz Standard (Mar. 9), Walden and the group drew on music from the ballad-centric To Feel and its sister release, What We Share, which offers a bit more juice in terms of tempo. Known for years as a scorching altoist in the Brian Blade Fellowship and other bands, Walden has reasserted himself as a tenor player, and his rich, unhurried voice on the instrument suited this music’s enveloping harmonic warmth, brought out by Fellowship bandmate Jon Cowherd on Rhodes and Mike Moreno on guitar. “In This World,” a tone poem with no solos, opened the show and set a prevailing mood of contemplation. Bassist Yasushi Nakamura struck a powerful rapport with the drummer — none other than Brian Blade — and introduced “Tama,” an affecting minor-key waltz, with a huge bluesy intro. Moreno did not loom large as a soloist, but his acoustic guitar on “I Believe” and “Gone But Not Forgotten” (the latter a duo with Walden on bass clarinet) added dimension to the set. Two soprano sax features, including “In Search of the Lost City,” pushed the improvising to a higher level. When Walden got going, his pockmarked, battle-scarred sound contrasted vividly with the music’s overriding cushiony texture.
(David R. Adler)
(DA)
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