
Leigh Jackson: Parallax
By Peter Dent
Listening to ‘Parallax’ I was getting vibes of Chick Corea, Pat Metheny and even David Sanborn. Leigh Jackson is a superb guitarist/keyboardist/composer. and here he is joined by a world-class trio of support players. Colin Hemmingsen shines on reeds and electronic wind instrument (EWI), while Tim Robertson and Lance Philip are NZ’s own John Pattitucci and Dave Weckl respectively. This CD is certainly as good as anything on the world stage today. It’s harmonically complex, and yet melodically alluring. The time changes, rhythmic counterpoint and implied metric modulation do not detract from the beauty of the pieces as a whole. This is rare in the world of electric jazz, where instrumental grandstanding can be a problem, especially with less experienced players. Sound engineer Bruno Barrett-Garnier has done a sterling job, adding a crystalline aural sheen to all nine tracks. Extremely, thoroughly, urgently, highly recommended.
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