Joel Frahm - The Bright Side (2021) Hi Res

Although there is only one name on the cover of the album - Joel Fram, in fact it is the debut album of the American-Canadian trio, led by the famous New York saxophonist. This trio (with bassist Dan Loomis and Canadian drummer Ernesto Cervini) was not born yesterday, it arose on the basis of the Turboprop ensemble of Cervini during one of the master classes at the University of Toronto. Since then, the musicians have played together more than once, gave concerts together and even made a big tour of Europe (they were especially delighted with Georgia and its capital Tbilisi). So, The Bright Side album became the logical next stage in the band's life. Interestingly, the album will be released on June 25 via Anzic Records, a label founded by the eminent clarinetist Anat Cohen, with whom Fram has a warm and friendly relationship.

Ten compositions, of which two were composed by Loomis, one by Cervini, and the rest were written by Joel Fram himself, make up the program of the album. In terms of style, the album can be attributed to the mainstream, although in different plays this concept is embodied in very different versions: from the expressive Boo Dip Dip Fram to the melancholic The Beautiful Mystery of Cervini, where the title very accurately corresponds to the content of the music. Fram dedicated a number of plays to his close colleagues in the jazz workshop - Thinking of Benny in honor of Benny Golson, Blow Poppa Joe for Joe Henderson, and Omer's World for Omer Avital. And sometimes full-blooded jazz flourishes with Fram on a completely non-jazz soil: he composed the title composition on the basis of Lou Reed's opening riff Walk On The Wild Side. And he did it very well: I would also give the album a name based on this play.

The musicians' mutual understanding is all right: in every note played, Joel feels strong support from Dan and Ernesto, who received their share of solo parts in the album. Fram named Coltrane, Wall of Getz and Chris Potter as the saxophonists who inspired him. If one can afford such a comparison, then I would say that Coltrane and Potter somewhat overshadowed Goetz on this album, at least that's how it seemed to me. But the fact that all three musicians are great masters, listening to The Bright Side leaves no doubt in any case.