This live sequel to the Krantz trio’s revelatory 1993 debut, Long To Be Loose (reviewed December 1994), operates in the same area, the virtuoso leader forging more striking fusions between Scofield-inflected jazz and r’n’b, funk and country. If one has any reservation about the music it is that the tendency towards relentlessness evident in Long To Be Loose is exacerbated by the live situation. There are moments when the volume and density of the music beg the contrast of space and silence. However, paradoxically, it is when the music is at its busiest that Krantz’s newest weapon provokes the most excitement: as he shows in Whippersnapper, he appears to have developed a nifty line in two-handed tapping, or at least a very fast conventional hammering technique.
The sound, especially on the drums, tends to be boxy (the recording was made with just two stereo, mini-mics and a DAT recorder, so no reverb), but the trio fire on all cylinders. Listeners will also be relieved to note that Krantz has now adopted usable titles for his tunes.
Discography
Whippersnapper; Dove Gloria; Shirts Off; Dream Called Love; AFKaP; Isabelle; Alliance/Secrets; Lynxpaw (52.43)
Krantz (elg); Lincoln Goines (elb); Zach Danziger (d). 55 Bar, NYC, February-April 1995.
(Enja ENJ-9043 2)
