Clarinetist
Don Byron once again mixes post-bop, swing, and funk into a unique concoction on
Ivey-Divey. Just like
Bug Music wasn't necessarily '30s swing and
A Fine Line: Arias and Lieder wasn't exactly a classical album,
Ivey-Divey isn't truly a straight-ahead, mainstream jazz album, although purists and avant-garde fans alike should find much common ground here. To these ends,
Byron gets humorously rambunctious and a little "out" on such tracks as the swinging "I've Found a New Baby," the reverent and bluesy "Himm (For Our Lord and Kirk Franklin)," and the funky downtown jam "'Leopold, Leopold...'." Backing
Byron here are the always adventurous talents of pianist
Jason Moran, drummer
Jack DeJohnette, trumpeter
Ralph Alessi, and bassist
Lonnie Plaxico. ~ Matt Collar