Personnel:
Enrique Heredia (d), Benet Palet (tp), Michele Faber (p), Curro Gálvez (b)
Reference: FSRCD 5124
Bar code: 8427328651240
When I was asked to find a good title for this album of well-known standards, I had no doubts, “How Deep Is the Ocean,” because apart from being the first song on the album, I also thought it was the most appropriate for many other reasons. A simple title can and often does suggest feelings and beauties that go beyond the infinite limits of well-performed music, and it offers us more than what it means, as is the case here.
I feel a special delight in presenting you the performance of this quartet led by drummer Enrique Heredia, one of those jazzmen with a long career, a firm foot in the roots of jazz, and a versatile and swinging player. The strength of his work lies not only in his reliable rhythmic drive and subtlety as a soloist —he never shows off his technical expertise if he doesn’t need to— but also in his role within the group. He stands out for always bringing to the table exactly what the soloist and the particular moment call for. It might sound simple, but this can only be achieved when talent and skill are put at the service of the group, so that every sound he generates with his drums flows gracefully and naturally. Enrique’s has the talent to do it, and to do it well.
You can tell what the musical approach for this project is going to be from the first few bars, and it is then that the title of the album acquires a self-evident descriptive role. Track after track, the music flows serene but powerful. As we get more and more enthralled by the spell of themusic, each note takes us deeper into the bottomless ocean of jazz. Suddenly, we are trapped by the waves and the warmth of its waters. The musicians ride the waves with a steady, relaxed swing, and each improvised segment has enough melodic content to delight our ears, traveling across a balanced range of moods, a charm that doesn’t dwindle on repeated hearings.
Benet Palet proves, once again, that very few can generate depth, show restraint and imagination as naturally as him. An innate talent, he is, without a doubt, my favorite trumpet player on the national scene. His work leaves the deeper wake, a benchmark for current and future generations. The musicality that he treasures appears also in his three performances on flute, an instrument that like the trumpet, he manages to play with the same smoothness and dexterity.
His fellow travelers fromthe rhythmsection cross the waters with firmness and freshness, in this worthwhile set of standards that swing loose and easy. Michele Faber’s backing is excellent, and her solo work is delightful, full of remarkable rhythmic virtuosity and emotional intensity. She can drive fast-paced melodies with vitality and yet pause for a meaningful ballad, proving that she is a pianist of well-grounded skill and insight.
Curro Gálvez on double bass is an integral part of the proceedings, and perfectly fulfills his role in all tempos andmoods. Together with Enrique, they are the two anchors that secure this ship that takes sailing that deep ocean of jazz like a fish in the water. Let’s enjoy the voyage!!!
—Jordi Pujol
