Sofferman Perspective: One Stone Two Birds

Brooke Sofferman is an accomplished drummer-composer-bandleader who continues to impress with his playing and prolific writing. On One Stone, Two Birds (Summit), the third release by his band the Sofferman Perspective, the drummer composed 10 of the 12 pieces, from the slyly polyrhythmic opener “Mimi’s Mambo” to the swinging brushes showcase “Bo-beh-lo” to the wide open “Purple Friggin’ Dinosaur,” a shape-shifting suite which features a freewheeling dialogue between tenor sax titan Jerry Bergonzi and trumpeter Phil Grenadier along with some burning guitar work by Norm Zocher and an explosive drum solo by Sofferman. The drummer again shows his knack for brushes on the beautiful ballad “Ky by Sky,” a lush vehicle for Bergonzi’s bold tenor lines and Zocher’s Metheny-esque guitar work. Other highlights include the hard-boppish “Sunbird,” the ethereal, ECM-ish “Wouberfish” and the modal workout “Triptophan,” which Bergonzi eats up like Thanksgiving turkey. Given Sofferman’s considerable composing skills, his abilities as a bandleader and arranger, his capacity to swing while also playing melodically on the kit, plus his penchant for injecting humor into the program-including “Griegarious Skang,” a funky, odd-metered take on Edvard Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” and a slightly X-rated, tempo-shifting “Uh-ah-oo-ah” and a rearrangement of the theme to Sofferman’s favorite ’80s TV show, Magnum P.I.-the drummer he most closely resembles is Matt Wilson. Of course, Sofferman is his own man and he stakes out his own territory in authoritative fashion with One Stone, Two Birds.

Originally Published November 1, 2004