# CD review: Falkner Evans – Marbles 2020: Video, CD cover

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2020/04/20/cd-review-falkner-evans-marbles-2020-video-cd-cover/
- Published: 2020-04-20T09:00:01+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**When Falkner Evans’ quintet album The Point Of The Moon came out in 2011, it marked
a significant departure for the New York-based veteran pianist and celebrated composer,
whose three previous discs were trio dates. **

Now, with the release of the sextet recording Marbles, Evans expands his harmonic
horizons further with the inclusion of a three-horn front line. The music—nine Falkner
originals and an album-closing snippet of “Things Ain’t What They Used To Be”—is
flush with ensemble interaction, and Evans and company do a brilliant job blending
the intimacy of a piano trio with the dynamic flash and larger tonal palette made
possible by the additional instrumentation.

Evans proves himself an expert orchestrator with a knack for voicing three-part 
harmony and combining brass and woodwind timbres in unexpected, yet extremely effective,
ways. In addition to drummer Matt Wilson, bassist Belden Bullock and trumpeter/flugelhornist
Ron Horton, fresh sounds at the leader’s disposal include Ted Nash’s vibrant alto
saxophone and fat-toned flute, and Michael Blake’s gritty-spitty tenor and stately
soprano. On three tracks, guest artist Steve Nelson contributes masterful, tasteful
vibraphone to the instrumental mix; his presence on Marbles is the icing on the 
cake.

The album kicks off with “Pina,” a romantic number that rides a bolero-like groove
and seduces with its mysterious-sounding, overtone-rich blend of flute, soprano 
and trumpet. “Civilization” is a medium swing—established by Wilson’s steady, lazy
ride cymbal—that puts a subtle twist on standard song form by embedding an improvised
tenor passage into the head of the tune. Evans comes to the fore on the hushed “
Sing Alone,” which starts with a dreamy rubato piano intro, heavy on the sustain,
eventually leading to an especially introspective solo turn from the leader. “Global
News” is a medium-up jazz waltz with a driving bass line and horn parts that smoothly
shift from unison to harmony and back again. The album reaches dramatic peaks when
Nelson makes his solo entrance on “Hidden Gem,” spinning skyward in an uplifting
spiral of mallet strokes that occasionally evoke a sunny steel-drum vibe. The title
track, a major highlight, is notable for its symphonic-style horn swells, tricky
syncopation, prominent vibraphone and a taut piano improvisation that’s cleverly
crafted and eloquently stated.

With Marbles, Evans embraces a musical dimension that’s entirely new to him, but
turns out to be right up his alley.

01. Pina
 02. Civilization 03. Sing Alone 04. Global News 05. Hidden Gem 06. This
from That 07. Mbegu 08. Marbles 09. Dear West Village 10. Things Ain’t What They
Used to Be

**Falkner Evans – piano**
 **Michael Blake – tenor and soprano saxophone** **Ted
Nash – alto saxophone, clarinet and flute** **Ron Horton – trumpet and flugelhorn****
Belden Bullock – bass** **Matt Wilson – drums** **Steve Nelson – vibes (tracks 5,
8 and 10)**

![Marbles | Falkner Evans](https://i0.wp.com/falknerevans.com/piano/wp-content/uploads/
2020/02/Falkner-Evans-Marbles.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)

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