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Fly: Sky & Country

By Mark Corroto
April 8, 2009
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Oh, the modesty of the members of the trio known as Fly. They might just as well have called themselves Super Fly—their initial release for ECM Records is indeed special.

Saxophonist

Mark Turner

saxophone, tenor
b.1965

" data-original-title="" title="">Mark Turner, bassist

FLY

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">FLY, and drummer

" data-original-title="" title="">Jeff Ballard all contribute compositions to Sky & Country, which follows their debut, FLY (Savoy, 2004), and is sure to garner attention for its democracy and equilibrium in approach and sound.

Turner seemingly never plays a harsh note. Like a gentle

John Coltrane

saxophone
1926 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">John Coltrane, he might be mistaken for

Joe Lovano

drums
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Lovano, playing with economy of notes and timing. He has been heard as a leader, as well as a preferred sideman for the likes of

Kurt Rosenwinkel

guitar
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Kurt Rosenwinkel,

Billy Hart

drums
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Billy Hart and

Paul Motian

drums
1931 - 2011

" data-original-title="" title="">Paul Motian. Lately, he's been heard together with Grenadier, who is also quite in demand, in

Enrico Rava

trumpet
b.1939

" data-original-title="" title="">Enrico Rava's band.

Grenadier is heard regularly with

Brad Mehldau

piano
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Brad Mehldau,

Joshua Redman

saxophone
b.1969

" data-original-title="" title="">Joshua Redman, and

Charles Lloyd

saxophone
b.1938

" data-original-title="" title="">Charles Lloyd, while Ballard is connected to the bassist through Redman and Mehldau.

The music on Sky & Country is fully formed, with no loose ends left dangling. The gentle "Anandananda" opens with Turner's solo tenor; two-minutes later the trio is walking a sweet-tempered melody that gives way to the guiding hand of Grenadier as Ballard colors the affair with an understanding touch. This is jazz without the swagger. Firm, confident, and thoughtful, the band sounds as if they really enjoy their partnership.

"Lady B" recalls

John Klemmer

saxophone
b.1946

" data-original-title="" title="">John Klemmer's early work with its moody tension. The title track displays the equality of this band, supplying color all around, as does "CJ," with its dreamy sound, Turner supplying a breathy tone over Grenadier's luscious, ECM-sounding bass. The closing "Super Sister" finds Ballard pushing the drumming into a mild hip-hop beat.

While the music is amped up, the trio stays very cool, indeed.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Lady B; Sky & Country; Elena Berenjena; CJ; Dharma Days; Ananda Nanda; Perla Morena; Transfigured; Super Sister.

Personnel

FLY

band / ensemble / orchestra

Mark Turner: tenor and soprano saxophones; Larry Grenadier: double-bass; Jeff Ballard: drums.

Album information

Title: Sky & Country | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: ECM Records

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