Door of the Cage (Soul Note)
Excellent  * * * * *
 

PORTLAND SKANNER
November 1995
by Dick Bogle

 
         Sometimes it’s surprising what variety of music the standard or usual jazz quintet of piano, bass, drums, trumpet and saxophone can create.

          There are neo-bopsters, retro-bopsters and then there is the delightful freshness in the air that trumpeter Baikida Carroll delivers with the usual five instruments.

          Of course, one might expect any avant-garde group to play unending choruses of squeaks, honks and blats. Certainly not so here.

          Carroll is 48 years old, and since he found his own voice long ago, now it was only a matter of finding musically compatible players with whom to perform.

          Tenorist Erica Lindsay is one. Panamanian bassist Santi Debriano is another. His beautiful blowing on “Against Your Warmth” is a perfect complement to Carroll’s muted solos. Drummer Pheeroan akLaff is perfect for this mission. He lays back and simply keeps time when it’s appropriate but then turns his power loose when that is appropriate.

          Pianist Steve Adegoke is always there with just the right phrase.

          Carroll is a gifted writer, having composed all 10 selections on this Soul Note release. It is impossible to select a favorite because they are all wonderful. If you are tired of the same old jazz but reject free-form or outside, then this is exactly what you want.