Feed the Fire

Plenty of new jazz records pass my desk. Unfortunately, more and more of those made by the younger generation of musicians starts to follow a worrying pattern:

The music begins to sound like meandering, jamming around a steady groove. No compositions as such, no arrangements, just frills, perhaps with a touch (or more!) electronics to make it busier.

I'm sure such music is great to play. But does it offer anything to the listener? Not really.

Luckily, Hannah Marks' record is not one of them. It's wonderful, straight-ahead contemporary jazz that invites the listener in.

Music

Musically, Feed the Fire is a very strong straight-ahead jazz record, with energetic and expressive soloing throughout.

But nobody is playing it safe here. Marks and her quartet happily venture off during solos, bring in elements of sonorism, and occasionally go off the rails entirely.

All of this makes the music that much more exciting. Throughout, I found myself constantly waiting to see what the band would throw at me next. I don't experience that often so it's a really welcomed change.

The record has another quality that used to be the backbone of jazz but it's rarer in contemporary playing: these musicians actually listen to each other. They sound like one, and they respect the soloist.

Take the title track. The sax goes off the rails at times, and you can hear the rest of the band responding. They push forward to offer a better foundation but never interfere. I have huge respect for that kind of playing.

However, I do have a few gripes with this record's sound, though.

Sound

First things first: the sound is more compressed that it needs to and the volume pushed up more than I would like. On speakers, it's almost fine. But put on headphones, and you're immediately met with a wall of sound.

Luckily, instruments sound clear and natural, and the mix doesn't crowd them together. Lines are easy to follow, and the music fills the soundstage nicely.

Overall, the album has a darker, warmer tone, though again, possibly a touch too dark. It sounds as if the mastering has nudged the EQ in that direction. The saxophone's upper frequencies are slightly pulled back. So is the piano. The bass is a little subdued, and even the cymbals lack their full ping.

A little more light would open things up, because right now the sound is heavy and does cause some listening fatigue over time.

Final Take

Feed the Fire is a refreshing album, and genuinely enjoyable to listen to. It doesn't explore new territories or try to invent new sonic worlds. 

But it delivers high-quality jazz of a kind we're beginning to miss in today's landscape.