January/February 2005

Eric Revis
Tales of the Stuttering Mime
11:11

By Ron Wynn

Eric Revis' debut as a leader, Tales of the Stuttering Mime (11:11), stretches the jazz fabric without ripping it apart. Revis and the formidable drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts are the link uniting disparate groups on this disc's 11 selections. The most unusual piece is "Miles Sebastian," a tribute to Revis' son, which opens with a phone message from the kid, followed by piercing bass explorations and then accompaniment from the Echo String Quartet. "Lulu's Back in Town" gets some early New Orleans vibes courtesy of Ricky "Dirty Red" Gordon on washboard and Doug Wamble on banjo, and Revis experiments with multiple saxophones, trumpet and guitar on other numbers. The results are a greatly varied, sometimes erratic but thoroughly rewarding and entertaining set.