01 January 2010
Cadence

At least from a compositional standpoint the music on Since Forever comes as a welcome relief. I was not previously aware of Fred Simon before but his choice of personnel gives a pretty big clue as to what to expect. We're in post-ECM territory here. Straight eighth note tunes of various pastel and pastoral shades are primarily on display here. Messrs. Rodby and McCandless do what you'd expect given their respective tenures with Pat Metheny and Oregon. Walker drums tastefully and chameleon-like, always there but blending effortlessly. McCandless plies his trademark bucolic turns of phrases on a variety of single and double reed woodwinds. Simon contributes the pleasant of Zawinul's ‘Silent Way' and he charms with his thoughtful and lyrical improvisations. This is beautifully crafted CD in virtually every respect and it makes agreeable listening. The lack of dynamic energy or synergistic interplay was something of a drawback however. I wish the CD had managed to rise above the merely pretty. As it is, it comes off as quite listenable but, alas, not particularly compelling or memorable.