专辑简介

Rob Blakeslee专辑介绍：by Alex HendersonFace it: The United States is a country that thrives on instant gratification. Americans lead busy, hectic lives; as a result, many don't have the patience to sit down and take the time to absorb abstract music that won't go out of its way to be accessible. However, that doesn't mean that an album as challenging and left-of-center as Last Minute Gifts can't have an audience in the U.S. --it simply means that left-of-center jazzmen like Rob Blakeslee will appeal to a small and select audience (one that will probably include a lot of intellectuals in Sweden). For listeners who do have some patience -- American, European, or otherwise -- Last Minute Gifts has a lot going for it. Blakeslee is an expressive trumpeter/flügelhornist, although he isn't someone who offers listeners the quick fix. Original pieces like "Megan's Tugboat," "Advice From a Pufferfish," and "Moss People" are cerebral, angular, and unapologetically abstract; this is an avant-garde/post-bop CD that must always be accepted on its own terms, and Blakeslee makes no compromises. But those who are patient enough to go along for the ride will find a lot to admire about this release -- not only Blakeslee's attractive tone and his expressive soloing, but also the solid accompaniment of trombonist Michael Vlatkovich (who sometimes reminds you of Ray Anderson), bassist Clyde Reed, and drummer/percussionist Dave Storrs. However, listeners may need to play Last Minute Gifts several times before the CD really wins them over; the first listen may not do the trick. And that brings us back to the subject of instant gratification, which is something that Last Minute Gifts refuses to offer. It does offer delayed gratification, and when that gratification comes, the listener is most certainly rewarded.