Gregory Tardy - The Hidden Light (2000)

Tenor saxophonist Tardy, now 33, brings us this follow-up to his Impulse debut Serendipity. He is influenced by the bop and hard bop movement, and consistently proclaims inspiration from his savior as the basis for playing this music. In the modern mainstream tradition, Tardy also pledges allegiance to John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, and Joe Henderson. His individual voice is still in development, but the compositions he has written are very interesting and elaborate. He has top-flight help from pianists Xavier Davis and George Colligan, trumpeter Nicholas Payton, bassist Sean Conly, and rising star, drummer Eric Harland. Of the originals, the title track has an implied bossa base melded with thoroughly modern modal, soulful lines, and a myriad of dynamic changes, with Payton's flugelhorn and Tardy on the front line of attack. Hard accents punctuated by bass and piano with bold horn riffs and Colligan's fine pianistics inform "The Living Hope." A more animated waltz, courtesy of Harland's drumming, flowers on "Beyond the Prison Doors"; the funky swing to ostinato bass of Conly goes to complex chapters of bebop verse for "Mr Hurt"; and a typical Art Blakey/Jazz Messengers, head-nodding shuffle sets the pace of the energetic "Educated Freedom." There's also more original material from the pen of Tardy, including the tick-tock beat and heavy melody with insistent, repeated motifs and mezzo piano to forte variances of "The Night Traveler," featuring the poignant piano of Davis. "Second Wave (Pooh's Paradigm)" is a nice little updated bop number with considerable help from alto saxophonist Antonio Hart in this, his lone appearance on the date. "Jonah's Tears" starts with an intriguing bass solo from Conly going into a modal 3/4 bass ostinato, definite lithe, Coltrane inferences, and Colligan's McCoy Tyner-like piano. Also included are the standard ballad "They Say It's Wonderful," the bass-tenor duet torch song "I Only Have Eyes for You," and the Thomas A. Dorsey gospel evergreen "Take My Hand Precious Lord." Tardy is a work in progress: a fine player and composer who is not pushing the envelope or avant buttons. The references to love of God are a bit overemphasized, but it does not detract from the well-played music on this promising CD. © Michael G. Nastos