Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Rob Derke & The NYJAZZ Quartet: Blue Divide

Rob Derke & The NYJAZZ Quartet: Blue Divide

By Dan Bilawsky
December 22, 2013
View read count

Rob Derke & The NYJAZZ Quartet: Blue Divide

Saxophonist

Rob Derke

saxophone
b.1972

" data-original-title="" title="">Rob Derke—the man behind the jazz-promoting nonprofit known as the NYJAZZ Initiative—significantly widened his reach with Mad About Thad (Jazzheads, 2011). That album, a finely sculpted tribute to the great trumpeter-composer

Thad Jones

trumpet
1923 - 1986

" data-original-title="" title="">Thad Jones, helped to shine a light on Derke's organization and brought more deserved attention to the music of a dearly departed legend. Now, this man with a mission returns as part of an extremely capable quartet that he considers to be "the backbone of the NYJAZZ Initiative."

On the aforementioned Jones tribute, a midsize outfit with plenty of horns fleshed out the music, sticking to the loyal-but-tweaked script(s) and adding personalized inflections to the songs at hand. Here, Derke and company write the scripts and take more liberties within them. Derke employs the same bottom-end entities on both discs, using the fluidly flexible and fierce

Eric McPherson

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Eric McPherson on drums and the spry-and-sly

Carlo De Rosa

bass
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Carlo De Rosa on bass, but their open and playful qualities are far more apparent here. Pianist

Aruán Ortiz

piano
b.1973

" data-original-title="" title="">Aru��n Ortiz—the fourth man and the only one not involved with the Jones project—proves to be every bit as demonstrative and daring as the rest. He adds splashes of dissonance and delivers angular-yet-melodic discourse when the temperature and tempo are running hot.

The material—six originals, a

Herbie Hancock

piano
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Herbie Hancock number that figured into Bertrand Tavernier's Round Midnight (Warner Bros., 1986), and a brief, freely improvised introduction to the whole thing—is mostly first rate. The album opens on the aforementioned searching "Prelude," but structure sets in on De Rosa's blues-based "Pasillo Azul." The quartet dials it down a few notches for Derke's tribute to saxophonist Davey Schildkraut ("Davey's Dreams"), but that number proves to only be a temporary respite. Tension and drive prove to be paramount on the follow-up track ("Dispossession"), which features some inspired solo volleying between Derke and Ortiz.

The second half of the album finds De Rosa up front on one of his own tunes ("Knowing"), Derke honoring his daughter through song ("G's Waltz"), and Ortiz leading the way into a slow-and-dreamy reading on a Hancock beauty ("Still Time"). Rather than end on a peaceful note, Derke and company return to the fray one last time with the propulsive "Taksim." It proves to be a fine and feisty way to finish.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Prelude; Pasillo Zaul; Davey's Dreams; Dispossession; Knowing; G's Waltz; Still Time; Taksim.

Personnel

Rob Derke

saxophone

Rob Derke: soprano saxophone; Aruan Ortiz: piano; Carlo De Rosa: bass; Eric McPherson: drums.

Album information

Title: Blue Divide | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: Zoho Music

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Mosaic Records: Making Jazz History
< Previous

Felabration 2013
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.