Rob Blakeslee is a demanding musician. His demands are on himself. You can sense
through listening to him play that he is continually pushing to reach new heights,
to make new statements, to achieve new inspiration from saying something no one
has said before. He puts a tremendous amount of emotion into his trumpet playing.
That is what makes
Last Minute Gifts such a rewarding listening experience. The music
has a fresh and vital sense to it, one that continually challenges you as it challenged
the performers.
Rob plays with clarity, and his solos have an acuteness that keeps them from falling
into any preset groove. He develops his solos and the entire program in a way that
does not allow you to predict the direction - a direction that is constantly changing
with varied tempo, interlaced communication with the band, alternating rhythms, and
diverse tonality. It all comes together as a decisive example of freely spun self and
group expression.
He and his quartet explore the creative possibilities inherent in these six tunes,
which were all composed by Rob and have a common thread. The program has all the
elements of a suite. The music, however, is anything but composed, as you will quickly
hear. The pieces are designed by Rob to be more directional, more like guideposts to
allow the band to seek its own point of departure from the ensemble sections.
So listen to this group with open ears and see for yourself how the originality of these
four artists is channeled into a great group endeavor. New and absorbing nuances emerge
with each replaying. The rewards are ongoing.
Personnel:
Rob Blakeslee -
trumpets, flugelhorn, percussion
Michael Vlatkovich -
trombone
Clyde Reed -
bass
Dave Storrs -
drums, percussion
