Focus

Rate It! Avg: 4.5 (37 ratings)
Sample Album
Focus album cover
Album Information
EDITOR'S PICK

Total Tracks: 12   Total Length: 62:09

eMusic Review 0

Avatar Image
Dylan Hicks

eMusic Contributor

04.22.11
Moody and playful, this is a career peak from a brilliant bandleader.
2002 | Label: Savant

Over time my loyalties might return to one of Arthur Blythe's early Columbia albums, but for now this is the one I go to first. Blythe has always delighted in atypical instrumentation, and here he comes up with a configuration so perfect one wonders why it's not the nightclub standard: old friend Bob Stewart on tuba, Gust William Tsilis on the infrequently heard bass marimba, and Cecil Brooks III on drums. Stewart is a serious tuba player, and Tsilis is no mere atmosphere setter. Still, there's something inherently jolly about tubas and something inherently moody about marimbas, and the contrast is one of on Focus'many selling points.

Another is Brooks, whose drumming holds it all together and then opens it all up. Still another is Blythe himself, expressive without ostentation on a set of blues and ballads, obscure Monk, abstruse funk, new originals and old originals shined up like new.

Write a Review 3 Member Reviews

Please register before you review a release. Register

user avatar

Unique Sound

gadnpc

Blythe has a unique sound, not only in his playing, but in the combination of instruments he uses on this album. I think that this is a great piece of art in that it departs from the "normal" instrumentation of piano/guitar, bass, drums. Doing so allowed Blythe to explore moods he may not have if he'd opted for something more "conventional."

user avatar

Jazz Fans Download

Sort

Unless you're shooting for terrain already covered, this is some great musical exploration using jazz structures with nontraditional instrumentation. The vibes and tuba as rhythm section simply works if you free your ears from needing a bass and piano. The blend of instruments brings a freshness, a presence to the music that gets lost with the same instruments at times. It has stayed in my rotation for a while now.

user avatar

Vibes, tuba and sax...!

bobwalruss

Great album covering a wide range of styles from atmospheric to funky, held together by the well balanced crafty musicians. They have turned what could easily be a mere curiosity into a beautiful jazz work.

Recommended Albums

eMusic Features

0

Post-Millennial Jazz

By Dylan Hicks, eMusic Contributor

No one, even the list makers among us, discovers music in an orderly fashion. Curious pop fans typically work "backwards": Muddy Waters by way of the Rolling Stones; the Last Poets through Mos Def; first Franz Ferdinand, then Duran Duran, then eternal damnation. With jazz, the listening trajectory tends to be more linear. In general, jazz doesn't come to you, not via mass media at least. So you come to it, often with direction from… more »

They Say All Music Guide

Altoist Arthur Blythe has always loved to play in unusual instrumental settings. His soulful sound and adventurous style are quite flexible and they sound right at home in this set with Gust William Tsilis on bass marimba, Bob Stewart on tuba, and drummer Cecil Brooks III. The performances are lyrical and often melodic, but searching and unpredictable. Blythe contributed eight of the dozen songs (including “Opus 1,” “My Son Ra,” and “Bubbles”) in addition to digging into “C.C. Rider,” Thelonious Monk’s obscure “Children’s Song,” “Stuffy Turkey,” and “In a Sentimental Mood.” In grooves ranging from New Orleans to R&B-ish, along with freer explorations, this is a continually colorful set of high-quality music. – Scott Yanow

more »