Polytonal Big Band: The Snake Charmer

4-STARS Goode is an outstanding instrumentalist who enjoys performing as a soloist. He is also an exciting composer and arranger. His compositions cover a broad stylistic repertoire: There are traditional jazz pieces like "Goose Chase," "Ornithology" (which, however, doesn't develop in the announced direction), and "Cabin in the Sky," in which he works with the familiar compositional elements of the big band. There are also lyrical and narrative numbers like "Just a Thought" and "Hypnotic Suggestion." The most exciting pieces are the truly contemporary pieces, such as the short "Pentacles": Here, his talent as an arranger comes to the fore, for example, evoking a rhythmic push and pull simply by distributing the individual elements among the different voices. The CD concludes with the longest track, "I Can't Forget About You," at just over eleven minutes, a surging ballad that savors all its twists and turns without ever descending into too much depth.