Landrus and his quintet cover a lot of ground here — and cover it well.
BlueLand/Palmetto Records
Brian Landrus – baritone & tenor sax, bass clarinet, flute, alto flute, bass flute, composition; Zaccai Curtis – piano & rhodes; Dave Stryker – acoustic & electric guitar; Lonnie Plaxico – acoustic & electric bass; Rudy Royston – drums & percussion
Expect the unexpected — at least in terms of style. That’s the quiet promise of Just When You Think You Know, Brian Landrus’ new quintet album, and from the opening moments of “All In Time,” its layers of wind instruments giving way to electric guitar and a searching Rhodes solo, it’s a promise he delivers on.
Well known as a low woodwind specialist, Landrus has built his reputation on baritone sax, bass clarinet, and the alto and bass flutes. Here he expands his arsenal to include tenor sax and C flute, and the effect broadens his palette considerably. Rather than staying in any one sonic corner, the album moves purposefully from mood to mood: the bossa nova lilt of “Continuance,” with its soulful flute and lyrical guitar, gives way to “Untold Story,” where bass and drums lay down a funk groove that pushes the music along, and then to the laid-back hard-bop swing of “One Year.” Such shifts give the album a restless, searching quality that prevents it from ever settling too comfortably in one place.
Joining him is a stellar quintet. Guitarist Dave Stryker turns in some elegant work throughout — fluid, single-note lines that drift off beautifully into space on “Trance,” and lyrical acoustic playing that anchors the bossa nova feel of “Continuance.” Pianist Zaccai Curtis is equally at home on both instruments: his Rhodes work has a light, resonant spring to it, notes bouncing off the keys with a distinctive touch, while his acoustic piano is straight-ahead and swinging. Lonnie Plaxico’s bass is a constant anchor, whether walking steadily or laying down the heavy electric groove that drives “Under Dark” with near-rock aggression. Rudy Royston’s drumming is precise and unshowy — stately brush work and light cymbal washes that frame the music without ever crowding it.
Deeply personal feelings run through the compositions. “Dear Fred” was written in tribute to sax mouthpiece maker Fred Lebayle, a friend who died in 2024, and “El Perro Sigma” is a gentle ode to Landrus’ late chihuahua. “All In Time” and “One Year” chart the dissolution of a romantic relationship, while the title track was sparked by the unexpected behavior of a close friend.
Three pieces — “Untold Story,” “Beyond,” and “Under Dark” — date back to 2002, a dark period when Landrus had grown disillusioned touring with pop acts and Motown revues. That origin is hard to detect in the music itself: “Untold Story” rides a sharp funk groove, “Beyond” settles into a hypnotic soul-jazz feel, and “Under Dark” is among the album’s most propulsive moments, its insistent electric bass and rock-edged guitar giving the flute lines above something to push against.
Landrus and his quintet cover a lot of ground here — and cover it well.
