«This is a top-level extraordinary group. Sphere is a finely-calibrated timepiece-with a soul». Mark Gilbert
Like cut roses, far happier clinging to the bramble in the sunshine, there are musical groups - particularly in jazz - that, 'confined' amongst sound-absorbing panels, alternative tracks and post-production, wither and lose their three-dimensionality, just as in the Flatland imagined by Abbott. It is no secret to jazz enthusiasts and aficionados that Sphere belong precisely to this category: their vitality, energy, best ideas and rock-solid interplay have been brought to the fore, to almost unattainable levels, in their live performances. And hence the importance of this *On Tour*, one of the most authentic testimonies to their potential as musicians, arrangers and composers. After all, if the New York Times--not exactly generous with accolades--chose it as album of the week, and Ira Gitler (along with Leonard Feather and Nat Hentoff, the American trinity of jazz writing for over fifty years) described it as 'a statement of musical power', one ought, at least on their authority, to take the time to enjoy these six tracks. On Tour is, in fact, the album one would recommend to an alien asking where to start to understand what bop is. He would thus encounter at least four 'aliens': Charlie Rouse, Kenny Barron, Buster Williams and Ben Riley are, together, the litmus test of what distinguishes a band from a collective. Here there is no mere craftsmanship, but rather a passionate urgency to share thoughts through the language of the beat; space is the extension of sound and time is the pulse of the ride and the hi-hat. Of course, the fifth 'alien' in the background remains Thelonious Monk, to whom Rouse and Riley dedicate a blisteringly fast version of 'Well You Needn't' at the end. First released in 1985 and having become a cult favourite among collectors, Sphere on Tour is also a way to become intrigued by the uncommon compositional skills of Buster Williams, who was enamoured with Monk's noble complexity (he was Monk's partner in the 1960s alongside Ben Riley).
Track Listing
DUAL FORCE BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP SCRATCH TAYAMISHA SPIRAL WELL, YOU NEEDN'T
