This is UK saxophonist and composer Duncan Eagles’ second turn as a leader on the Ropeadope label, this time leading a quartet instead of a quintet as on 2019’s Citizen, which we also covered on these pages. Gone is the guitarist and while longtime returning collaborator, bassist Max Luthert, who is also his bandmate in the chordless trio Partikel, remains aboard, Eagles is working with Polish-born pianist Tomasz Bura and Portuguese drummer Zoe Pascal for the aptly named Narrations, a nod of sorts to the saxophonist’s lyrical style. While we described its predecessor as Tales from the Hudson Brecker-like, this is a straight-forward acoustic tenor quartet that encompasses the spiritual, the funky, and the lush ballads, not unlike Chris Potter in some respects, although arguably just a bit less aggressive. Still, compared to Eagles’ debut, there is far more fierce attack in these seven originals.
From the outset, we hear Eagles in reaching mode after he lyrically states the theme of the opener “Grove Park,” with drummer Pascal a major driver pushing both the leader’s solo and pianist Bura’s unbounded excursion. Eagles plays determinedly, with an edginess that at several times evokes Joshua Redman’s style. “Eden” morphs through a melodic opening into a rather ethereal section featuring intriguing rhythm section interplay and then a rather complex rhythmic pattern, as drummer Pascal shows considerable versatility from cymbal-heavy sequences to throbbing stick work that inspires Eagles into increasingly aggressive blowing. Eagles seems to be posing amusing questions to his bandmates as they navigate brightly through the ever-churning, uplifting “Suburbitron.” Bassist Luthert shows his sturdy mettle here on two different solos. Like “Eden” the piece seems to dissolve midway, only to return in a more energized, almost free jazz fashion.
We sense Eagles’ pre-teen classical piano training and presumably similar training for Bura in the sublime ECM-like ballad “Local Hero.” Pascal leads into the toe-tapper “Severance,” commanding as much attention as the leader, with his just-behind-the-beat snare attacks while Bura seems a bit stuck on repetitive chords, allowing the drummer to utilize his fit even more freely. When Eagles rejoins it’s as if to say, “now, this is what I’m talking about,” only to have the piece slip off again, seemingly directionless until Eagles returns to restore order. Eagles and the quartet go in spiritual mode on “Rosebush,” a standout track, again more in the Redman than say, the Brecker camp. We’re not using Coltrane or Charles Lloyd in this context as Eagles is a more lyrical, somewhat tamer force who is not innately spiritual like those two. Yet, he does quite well in that context here. That comforting warmth dissipates immediately into white heat for the rousing closer, “The Bakehouse.”
For the most part, save a few inexplicable meandering passages, Narrations gets your head bobbing and your blood moving with the two ballads offering a refreshing respite. Eagles shows far more virtuosity and versatility in this outing with a group that seems perfectly matched to his original explorations.
