Matt DeMerritt, Fool’s Journey | The Vinyl Anachronist

It’s strange how music and the visual arts can bounce off each other, creating new echoes. Vincent Van Gogh has been my favorite artist for quite some time, ever since hundreds of his works toured the US back in 1999. My two favorite paintings? Wheatfield with Crows and Starry Night. Over the last couple of weeks, however, Van Gogh’s position on the top of the mountain has been threatened by Guadalajara-based artist Sergio Bustamante. In the middle of this turmoil, I listened to Matt DeMerritt. He has an opinion on all this, dipped in a knowing humor. Saxophone player Matt DeMerritt scores extra points integrating Starry Night onto the cover of his new album, Fool’s Journey, but the real genius of this album is just how appropriate that image is to the rich and melodic jazz featured in these tracks. These are dense and seductive original compositions, just as layered as millions of stars thrown across a clear night sky, music that might be played on a stage, outdoors, and shared with people you love. This is the first album from Matt DeMerritt as a leader. He spent the previous 25 years as a sideman, according to the liner notes. […]