Ton Sur Ton
If you’ve traveled down the svelte roads of rural Ireland, chances are you’ve been stuck behind some slow farm equipment or held up by a herd of cows. Marc Johnson’s Shades of Jade album is the perfect accompaniment to such scenes. The leisure melodies forge their own deliberate pace—don’t bother honking the horn because you’re not getting to the pub any quicker. The timbral richness of Johnson’s bass, shadowed by John Scofield’s guitar and Joe Lovano on tenor saxophone during the opening track “Ton Sur Ton,” sets the mood to laidback, way back. Yet solos manage to flash and sizzle despite the unhurried tempo.
—RN