Elevated finds Michael Blake shining in a more traditional setting than his usual environs. The Brooklyn-based saxophonist is more likely to be familiar to you by dint of his work in the Lounge Lizards. However, unlike Lurie's band, this seems a more subtle blending of styles; the cheesy moniker of "East meets West" might make you cringe, but it's perfectly applicable here.
This, however, is certainly not an avant-jazz release, despite the merging of styles found here. There is some strange-sounding tongue-work in Blake's playing, most notably giving an Egyptian feel to "Surfing Sahara", but it's all complimentary to the tune at hand; there's never a sense that's he's exhibiting technique for the sake of doing so. There's an instance of Blake playing both his horns at once, but this doesn't seem like showboating, purely because it's honest to the feel of the recording. It's the same kind of feel that flows through some of John Zorn's Masada work -- a hypnotic, compelling, slightly relaxing feeling that draws one in.
Crucial to Elevated's inclusiveness are Blake's sidemen: Ben Allison's bass is mysterious and strangely gentle, and Frank Kimbrough's piano seems to find melodies by discarding them, while Mike Mazor's drumming adds an air of shimmering strangeness. Each musician underplays just enough to allow the natural rhythm and hook of the songs' stylistic cross-pollination to take hold.
The biggest surprise to be found here is -- despite the fact that the whole album sounds vaguely familiar -- that there's only one cover, "Old News, New Blues". It's testament to the quartet's power that there's so much familiarity and so little cliché: I can only really point to the title track, "Elevated", as being a bit hackneyed. The rest of it just works.
If you're looking for a late-night CD that can double as music-for-the-bedroom or music-to-fall-asleep-at-your-keyboard-by, then Elevated is for you. There's a smoothness here that's hard to resist: an oasis-in-the-moonlight swagger coupled with the finest booze available. It's worth it.
