Rouxsteady

It's hard to imagine hearty, savory, thick gumbo, without the perfect roux. Dark and rich, simple but critical, the roux can make or break the stew. Lucky for our ears, Kelly McCarty Trio upholds the sanctity of the sacred sauce. In the spirit of great gumbo, Rouxsteady fuses Rocksteady-Jamaican R&B-with familiar grooves from The Big Easy. McCarty's Novax 8-string guitar serves as a thickener beneath A.J. Hall's active skins and cymbals. Atop it all soars John Daz-Corts on tenor sax. His colorful lines cover the range of the horn. Rouxsteady is the follow-up to Common Anomaly (2006, Little Apply Records), a trio record that dealt with hip-hop backbeats, electronics, and a tip of the hat to drum-and-bass. RouxSteady removes the production gloss. Enabling collaborative compositions from the entire group, propellinging the trio into new found, pulsating maturity. Superb bassists are often praised with their ability to support the band-McCarty exceeds this expectation with modest, multitasking ease. The duets Clarity's Lullaby and Ode to Fred Hampton allow McCarty's sensitivity to shine. On Doji, the rounded, low-end of the Novax cuts like a knife in warm butter. A.

J Hall's snare and rim shot slices are even sharper. His elasticity of the beat allows him manipulate the groove from swing to skank. John Daz-Corts doesn't miss a beat. With a dark tone, he contributes joyous lyrical blues with slips in modern harmonic and percussive approaches to the saxophone. Daz-Corts' heart-felt ballad, Thinking of You, is also featured on his own record, Not All Who Wander Are Lost, with The Folkloria Arkestra. Rouxsteady's flavor explosion pays tribute to Jazz, and roots music from Jamaica and New Orleans. But, in the spirit of great improvisers, McCarty, Hall and Daz-Corts surpass notes and rhythms. They deliver from their soul. And the soul...is as crucial as the roux. - Alexander Gelles Ariff writer, Hard Bop Jazz Journal.