Sal La Rocca ‎- Shifted (2018)

The saxophone lines snake out of the speakers, rustling the airwaves like a breeze through firs or singing with all the lyricism of the finest vocalist. The double bass's hardwood lays a strong foundation. The electricity of the Wurlitzer piano growls atop that age-old sound, like a lightning storm rolling over treetops. Sal La Rocca's Shifted melds the gentleness of a forest with all the freedom of its animals. The sounds can roam uninhibited and wild. But they all play a part in creating the music's natural beauty. Each creature as vital as the next.

Shifted's music springs from the well of spiritual jazz. Saxophonist Jeroen van Herzeele occupies the space between Ornette Coleman and Sonny Rollins—between the wild and the hearth. His playing searches the outer realms of the spirit as Coleman's does. But with the full, warm tone of Rollins. On "Psalm"—not the John Coltrane tune, but an original by Van Herzeele—his sax stretches for the heavens. While below, bandleader Sal La Rocca's bass pours his lines into the rhythm's mold. He's a subtle and ingenious player, wielding his instrument with all the assured and quiet cool associated with the bass. Never dictating, but steering instead. A respected and admired captain.