A Journey That Matters

by Ken DrydenTineke Postma's third CD as a leader is an impressive effort, as she is finding her own voice on both alto and soprano sax, while also making her recorded debut on tenor. Joined by bassist Frans van der Hoeven and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, along with a rotating trio of pianists (Marc van Roon, Rob Van Bavel and Randal Corsen), Postma's originals avoid predictability and hook the listener immediately, starting with the dark, Latin-flavored "Bar Celta." "A Journey That Matters" is a driving post-bop work, an infectious arrangement by Johan Plomp that adds a brass/reed choir behind the leader's darting soprano. Postma's robust tenor is featured in the intricate "Synchronicity," while her lush alto is showcased in "Comprendo." But her fresh approaches to well known songs will especially turn heads. She takes quite a few liberties with Duke Ellington's "Prelude to a Kiss," giving it a Latin rhythm and stretching its melodic structure well away from its roots with long inspired flights on soprano. In a miniature setting of Billy Strayhorn' "A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing," her brooding alto is accented by the rhythm section's jagged, spacious background. Finally, Postma's soprano soars in Plomp's scoring of Ellington's "Fleurette Africaine," as he blends in dramatic acoustic guitar with French horn, bass clarinet, bassoon and flute as an effective backdrop.