"Crossroads" 20 year anniversary

I heard Eric Marienthal play live in Auckland in September 2009. I was expecting to hear a professional, experienced saxophonist - what I heard was so much more. His playing was both articulate and fluid with a range that I couldn't quite believe for an alto sax...and moreover what a humble, personable musician. Backed by the Rodger Fox big band, the evening was my big musical surprise of the year. Riveting big band charts - I think at least two from the Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band. An amazing evening and exemplary display of sax mastery.

What's this got to do with a review of Crossroads some 20 years before? Well quite honestly for many years I had dismissed Eric Marienthal as the smooth jazz influence that had weakened Chick's Elektric Band offerings. The disastrous "Light years" album was such a disappointment after their debut album that I gave up on Chick for a while. 

The first inklings that I had that Eric was far more than the musician on many commercial smooth jazz recordings was when first watching him on the Chick Corea Elektric Band Live in Montreux 2004 DVD. Wow, no soprano noodling at all but hard bebop lines to support the tracks 'C.T.A', 'Got a match', 'Spain' and 'Blue Miles'. This time it was the noodling of Gambale's guitar that seemed to interfere and Eric was masterful.

So there is a dilemma - who is the real Eric? I like to think after hearing Eric live that it's when he is playing live that the real Eric is heard. Yes, he always has a sweet tone, but live he rips it up and is adventurous. On the 20th anniversary of 'Crossroads' I can happily say that this album still sounds fresh and impeccably well-recorded...and that Eric blows away the cobwebs of most of his other solo albums. Why then does this studio album sound live? Simply because the musos played it live in front of each other when recording and the spontaneity shines though.

It does help that the best musicians in the world were there to play along with Eric. What an incredible lineup. John Patitucci is producer and the bassist through out. This is a drummers album of note - as has been pointed out by other reviewers; if you are partial to flat-out fusion drumming - then try and get a copy of 'Crossroads'. Terri Lyne Carrington is monstrous on the first track and plays like I'd imagine Weckl might have on a good day! Six of the ten tracks are played by the drum master Vinnie Colaiuta, who gets many opportunities to play out and even solo. Weckl plays on a track and Terri closes out. Keyboardists are the prolific Russell Ferrante and Chick Corea on three tracks. With three Ferrante compositions and one from Chick himself, no wonder this sounds like a mixture of an aggressive Yellowjackets and Elektric band album.

Yes, there are ballads and some pretty melodies but all eventually romping away to inventive, exciting compositions with wonderful playing by all. If you haven't heard Eric hit the high notes, the big notes and the adventurous lines, then this is the album to get.