Andrew Cheshire is an adventurous cat who eschews tonal manipulation in favor of long clean lines executed with a straight, unaffected string tone. His list of guitar favorites includes Grant Green and other organ combo favorites, but here he chooses to delve into far more adventurous material, extending the bop vocabulary, especially on the five originals that open this session. Maybe a better point of reference is the late Attila Zoller, the subject of the Cheshire-penned tribute, "A.Z. Lives."
Interestingly, of the two rhythm sections he employs, he uses the one I'd consider more traditional for the originals. Bassist Ron McClure appeared on Cheshire's first two Joule sessions (4/97, p112 and 4/98, p132) so has more than a passing familiarity with the young guitarist's work. And Billy Hart, of course, has ears the size of Alaska. The result is a series of fine excursions in would would be aptly called free bop. The tunes set the mood, the improvisations grow from it. And the rhythm section, while maintaining the forward propulsion, provides an ongoing commentary on the guitarist's lines.
The shift in rhythm sections to the Dominic Duval-Jay Rosen duo is signaled by a brief free improvisation by the bassist and drummer without the guitarist. It sets the tone for the following tracks, in terms of their impromtu nature, if not their material. The five tracks include the opening duet, Cheshire's solo rendition of "Nefertiti," a Cheshire blues and two standards, Invitation" and "Afro Blue."
The more traditional material provides insight into the guitarists mode of operation. He, and his accompanists, never let their familiarity - or the listeners' for that matter - with the material tie them down. Together they create collective meditations on well-worn material, to refreshing effect. The "Blues on Mars" offers a link between Cheshire's conventional forbears and his current explorations.
-David Dupont
Cadence, January 2001