From muscular to meditative, drummer/composer Jerry Granelli's music spans a continent-wide range of expressiveness. Like the man himself — whose work in San Francisco's free jazz scene of the '60s to present day in Halifax's vibrant creative scene — What I Hear Now embodies a range of experience, feelings and belief. With tenor saxophone great Mike Murley, along with fellow reedmen Dani Oore and Andrew McKelvey, Granelli's horn arrangements are in good hands. "Run Danny Run" features sax double trouble, with Murley and Oore ripping it up, underpinned solely by Granelli's brawny beats.
"Prologue," with bassist Simon Fisk, and "Another Place" feature the leader's haunting writing for saxophones without his pulsating percussion to move things along. The horns intertwine, rising and subsiding, their sounds imbued with longing. "The Swamp" is a funky closer, a tricky, darting line with bluesy solos by trombonist Andrew Jackson, McKelvey. Murley, Oore and wrapping up with a master class in drum musicality from Granelli. What I Hear Now is a strong statement from a man whose lifetime commitment to music resonates in every track.
(Addo Records)"Prologue," with bassist Simon Fisk, and "Another Place" feature the leader's haunting writing for saxophones without his pulsating percussion to move things along. The horns intertwine, rising and subsiding, their sounds imbued with longing. "The Swamp" is a funky closer, a tricky, darting line with bluesy solos by trombonist Andrew Jackson, McKelvey. Murley, Oore and wrapping up with a master class in drum musicality from Granelli. What I Hear Now is a strong statement from a man whose lifetime commitment to music resonates in every track.