Joel Frahm - Sorry, No Decaf (1999)

Tenor saxophonist Joel Frahm has been an impressive young player for a while now, too. Best-known as part of Matt Wilson's quartet, his talent comes to the fore on his debut disc as a leader, Sorry, No Decaf. Frahm's strong suit is his versatility. Pieces such as "Laura" and "100 Years in Motion" accurately gauge the kind of grace it takes to make lyricism more than merely fetching. With wisps of Stan Getz and Kenny Barron's exploratory People Time duets in the air, he and pianist David Berkman saunter through the former, casting themselves as explorers sentimental for home. But there's a growling bear living somewhere in Frahm's soul, too. Sorry, No Decaf contains many passages where impetuousness speaks for itself. The aptly titled "Smokin' Joel" is a headlong spill of an opener, clamorous and rollicking. Offering a lefty's view of the mainstream, Frahm lets cagey moves dot the disc. On "Interesting Perhaps, but Hardly Fascinating Rhythm," there are echoes of Keith Jarrett's "Fullsuvollivus (Fools of All of Us)." Here, on Berkman's tune, Frahm's band breaks things down (the piano/tenor tap dance that comes out of nowhere) to rebuild them with aplomb (check that Wilson/Weiss groove in the tail end).~ JAZZIZ Magazine Copyright © 2000, Milor Entertainment, Inc. -- From Jazziz