AMG Review of Black Art

Greg Turner
All Music Guide

A veteran of bands led by Tony Williams, Roy Haynes, and Betty Carter, pianist Darrell Grant's Criss Cross finds Grant working with trumpeter Wallace Roney, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Brian Blade on five post-bop originals, two jazz classics, and two standards. While this recording is under Grant's name, the real star of this recording is Roney. Often maligned by critics for sounding too much like Miles Davis, Roney possesses a more aggressive attack that he puts to use on several numbers, including the energetic Latin-influenced "Freedom Dance," "Tilmon Tones," based on a phrase from a Williams composition, and even shows his lyrical side on the beautiful melody of Grant's "Foresight." Grant also contributes a hip trio arrangement of the often-played standard "What Is This Thing Called Love." After a brief McBride bass solo, Grant's piano "suggests" the melody over a McBride bass vamp with the bridge played at a faster tempo. The song even ends with a whispering voice à la Davis. A satisfying label debut from a up-and-coming young musician.