In Motion by Jonathan Barber and Vision Ahead
‘In Motion’ by Jonathan Barber and Vision Ahead
Jazz drummer-composer Jonathan Barber's band’s name and the title of their latest album could hardly dovetail better. Barber’s eight full pieces and two reprises comprising his and Vision Ahead's third release, In Motion, maintain an aspirational momentum. The collection’s sense of forward motion toward a goal of a complete, satisfying aesthetic statement not only comes from the bandleader’s propulsive, colorful percussion, but from the rest of his quintet. It also often derives from a compositional economy that packs numerous memorable melodic ideas usually in segments under five minutes each.
It’s almost as if Barber has given his players—especially guitarist Andrew Renfroe, tenor saxophonist Matt Knoegel and pianist Taber Gable—the frameworks to conceive actual singles, not merely radio emphasis cuts, that could stand apart from the context of In Motion as a whole. It's especially invigorating when Renfroe's and Knoegel's intuition of funk kicks in. Even in in its more somber and reflective passages, however, Barber and his ensemble deliver genuine hooks without ever crossing the line into the sanded edges of fusion smoothness. And as on Vision Ahead's two previous outings, titles with biblical allusions and occasional call-and-response arrangements harken to Barber’s youthful days plying his instrument church. In Motion offers an especially accessible portrait of post-bop artistry with a palpable sense of hope that comes through its grooves.
Stream or download Vision Ahead at Amazon here.
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