Lewis Porter and Phil Scarff Group

Three Minutes to Four

2017-11-26

While musical tourism is something to be wary of, pianist Lewis Porter joins Phil Scarff’s trio to create an elegant and lively entry into the often-dusty annals of modern jazz. The songs are experimental, but never draggily so. The well-traveled compositions of Porter and Scarff are strongest because they embrace melody. Anchored by the rhythm section of Bertram Lehmann and John Funkhouser, both professors at Berklee, the music wanders freely but rarely gets lost. Even the jarring chromatic looseness of the Skies of South Africa Suite that makes up tracks seven and eight somehow seems to hold up.

Pros: Melodic diversity, strong musicianship.

Cons: Very tough to get through the album’s 73:25 runtime in a sitting.

Primest Cuts: “Long Ago” “Three Minutes to Four”

review by Kollen

More reviews tagged #Jazz

  • reviewed 12/1969

    James Taylor Quartet
    New World

  • reviewed 04/2006

    The New Orleans Social Club
    Sing Me Back Home

  • reviewed 10/2006

    Stanton Moore
    III

  • reviewed 06/2006

    Christian Mc Bride
    Live At Tonic

  • reviewed 10/2013

    DIRTY BOURBON RIVER SHOW
    Volume Four

  • reviewed 09/2008

    PAT COIL SEXTET
    Bird House

Compiled by the WYCE Journalism Club

The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.