Jim Gailloreto's Split Decision - Shadow Puppets (2004) [Hi-Res]

One of the better modernist jazz players on the contemporary scene in Chicago is Jim Gailloreto. Primarily a tenor saxophonist who occasionally plays soprano, Gailloreto sports a beautiful, seasoned, and mature tone, determined to set himself apart from assumable influences, and is very successful in that endeavor. This recording with his Split Decision quartet is named because of the acoustic nature of his progressive jazz, and the contrasting exclusive usage of the amplified Fender Rhodes piano as played wonderfully by the brilliant Laurence Hobgood. What is most surprising about this project is the underscored and reserved nature of the music, as there's hardly any overblowing or extroverted and feverish improvising, favoring a common ground in the mezzo piano to mezzo forte range. Sly themes like "Other White Meat," "Cheshire Cat," and "Doggin' Around" share a whimsical foundation, with light, neat, and clean funk, mysterious under-the-surface elaborations, and overt contemporary funk to swing under Gailloreto's soprano sax respectively identifying their distinctions. But that is not where the variations on these understated themes end, as the appropriately named title track shows light out of darkness in a 5/4 rhythm; "So Sari" is a somber, apologetic, and near sarcastic piece; "Hum the Joke" is an easygoing bopper with the sax and Rhodes playing tricky unison lines; and the deconstructed "Jump St(u)art" in 6/8 sounds like a torn-down take of "It Ain't Necessarily So." You also get a fine read of the poignant Billy Strayhorn evergreen "A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing" and a curiously hastened tenor sax/drums duet replete with repeated lines during a reinvention of Johann Sebastian Bach's Prelude from Cello Suite No. 1. This is a delightful recording, fully exploring the compatible melodic ideas in Gailloreto's head while also showcasing Hobgood's taste level on the Rhodes in full flight. Shadow Puppets comes highly recommended. © Michael G. Nastos