| Jazz |
An Album That Promised Renewal, But Settles for Reverence.
At first glance, the premise behind this album seemed genuinely promising: breathe new life into vintage compositions by reinterpreting jazz standards and well-known classics. It’s an approach that often revitalizes both the material and the musicians, offering fertile ground for ensemble cohesion and daring improvisational flights. And yet, despite that tantalizing potential, what ultimately emerges is an album that feels surprisingly conventional, technically accomplished, yes, but lacking the spark of reinvention or the thrill of risk.
The musicians involved are, without question, highly skilled, and their respect for the source material, compositions by the likes of Coltrane, Coleman, and their contemporaries, is evident throughout. But admiration is not interpretation, and too often, these performances adhere so faithfully to their original forms that they fail to stake any new claim. Rather than carving out new emotional or conceptual terrain, the album seems content to walk familiar paths. Paradoxically, this renders the project’s greatest strength not in what it offers anew, but in what it reminds us to revisit: the original masterpieces themselves.
In that sense, this recording feels less like a bold artistic statement and more like a musical postcard, pleasant, perhaps even affectionate, but not particularly revelatory. This is especially noticeable in light of the recent surge in reinterpretation projects over the past two years. Many of those releases have offered fresh, inventive takes on legacy material, often reframing older compositions in a way that speaks directly to the swirling complexity of the 21st century. Compared to those efforts, this album feels somewhat static, more rooted in nostalgia than in the kinetic present.
Mike Clark, of course, is no stranger to the art of surprise. Over the course of a distinguished and dynamic career, he has anchored rhythm sections that helped shape the direction of jazz itself. His partnership with saxophonist Michael Zilber has deepened over the past decade, and the two share a deep reverence for the traditions of hard-swinging New York jazz. While Clark hails from the Bay Area and Zilber from Vancouver, their musical souls remain tethered to the hard bop ethos of groups led by giants like Miles Davis and John Coltrane.
Given Clark’s track record for adventurousness, this album may strike longtime listeners as unusually restrained. But even the most seasoned artists occasionally produce works that serve more as transitional chapters than defining statements. And indeed, there is at least one track here that gestures toward the deeper, more emotive terrain that Clark is capable of navigating. On “The Way Thought of You,” we hear a stripped-down elegance that recalls his finest moments, an unforced beauty that cuts through the album’s more predictable passages. It’s a fleeting glimpse of what could have been, and a reminder that Clark’s gift lies as much in subtlety as in virtuosity.
The album’s final three tracks, too, offer a glimpse of the rhythmic vitality and interplay that Clark and Zilber can summon when fully engaged. It’s in these closing moments that the rhythm section truly shines, lifting the material above its earlier complacency and suggesting a stronger artistic vision just beyond the horizon.
In the end, this is an uneven record, pleasant and listenable, yes, but lacking the passion or provocation to leave a lasting mark. It does not tarnish the reputations of the musicians involved, but nor does it elevate them. One comes away with the sense that the real statement is still to come. For now, we have a record that plays more like a prelude than a proclamation.
Thierry De Clemensat
Member at Jazz Journalists Association
USA correspondent for Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief – Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, June 19th 2025
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Musicians :
Mike Zilber – Tenor Sax
Mike Clark – Drums
Jon Davis – Piano
Alex Claffy – Bass
Tracklist :
Beatrice
Blues For Chambers
I Get Along Without You
Cousin Mary
Turnaround (And Around Again)
Green Dolphin Street (Redolphined)
The Very Thought of You
Hallelujah (Secret Chords and Holy Doves)
Footprints
Credits:
Produced by Mike Zilber & Mike Clark
Engineered by Jean-Christophe Santalis
Recorded at Raw Recording Studio – Patterson, NY on October 13, 2022
Mixed and Mastered by Jean-Christophe Santalis
Graphic Design & Illustration by Christopher Drukker