Modern Drummer
April 2006

The Ari Hoenig Group
Kinetic Hues: Live At Fat Cat

4.5 out of 5

Extracted from the same live recording sessions that produced stellar New York drummer Ari Hoenig’s 2004 CD The Painter, Kinetic Hues offers a visual glimpse into some of the most dynamic and adventurous jazz performances in recent years. While The Painter focused on Hoenig’s originals, this DVD emphasizes standard jazz repertoire, played in very un-standard ways. There are head-spinning arrangements of Coltrane’s “Giant Steps,” Kapar and Webster’s “Invitation,” and Dizzy’s “Con Alma.” And on “Summertime” and “I Mean You” Hoenig takes the description “melodic drummer” to the extreme, using elbows, sticks, and fingers to replicate melodic lines with pinpoint accuracy. Truly inspirational.

- Michael Dawson