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It’s
true that you can almost never judge a book—or an album—by
its cover. In fact, when it comes to recordings, you shouldn’t
even try, as nothing apart from the music is of any consequence. As
Exhibit A, I would offer Outside the Ministry of Truth by Canadian
saxophonist John MacMurchy’s quintet. The title is hardly auspicious,
while the booklet contains two photos of MacMurchy, the first seated
on a bench in front of what appears to be a bronze statue of a man,
also seated and deep in thought, the second a frontal shot of the
leader clutching his tenor sax, looking grim and bearing a striking
resemblance to actor William H. Macy. And on the tray, next to the
playlist, is a picture of an eye peering through a keyhole. Ominous
harbingers, but what have they to do with the music? Not much, really,
as what we have here are fairly, straightforward renditions of half
a dozen superlative post-bop compositions by MacMurchy. In other words,
even Outside the Ministry of Truth melody, harmony and rhythm remain
securely intact, and for that, we can breathe a collective sigh of
relief. MacMurchy’s strapping tenor, which he plays on the first
four numbers, is well-proportioned and emphatically modern, out of
the Michael Brecker/Joe Lovano/Branford Marsalis/Don Braden school,
and he has the chops to resolve easily any problems that may arise.
To show his versatility, MacMurchy moves to clarinet on “Bayview
Extension,” alto on “Through the Looking Glass,”
and is as quick and sure-handed on either instrument as he is on tenor. Jack Bowers
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