Joe Elefante – Joe Elefante’s Wheel Of Dharma

Street date : January 13. 2025
Jazz
Joe Elefante - Joe Elefante's Wheel Of Dharma

Here is a rather classic album, chiefly remarkable for its compositions. Beyond that, we find ourselves immersed in structures we know by heart if we are regular attendees of jazz concerts. This familiarity only heightens our appreciation of the impeccable performances by the musicians accompanying Joe Elefante: namely, the excellent trumpeter Freddie Hendrix, saxophonist Erena Terakubo, bassist Samir Shankar, and drummer Dave Heilman. Listening to this album is always, for me, a somewhat peculiar experience, as it epitomizes a genre of jazz club music that truly demands the immediacy of a live setting to fully realize its essence.

The fact that the entire repertoire consists of original compositions is commendable. However, from my humble perspective, when one has the privilege of working with artists like saxophonist Erena Terakubo and trumpeter Freddie Hendrix, a more inventive treatment of the rhythm section and piano seems warranted. This observation takes nothing away from the pleasure of the listening experience, yet a drum and piano section that is overly verbose alongside musicians who cut straight to the core creates a somewhat odd musical texture.

An album, then, that strikes me as uneven: all the musicians perform flawlessly, yet a piece like “Rocky” almost lulled me to sleep. It must be said that since 2024, we have been graced with exceptionally creative albums, which makes it challenging for this one, in the midst of more compelling works, to leave a lasting impression. That said, I am confident this album will find its audience, as it does not challenge any established musical conventions.

Joe Elefante’s Wheel of Dharma thus earns a well-deserved three stars, justified by the quality of its interpreters.

Thierry De Clemensat
USA correspondent – Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News

PARIS-MOVE, January 12th 2025

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