The Nearness


The Nearness is an album by saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom which was recorded in 1995 and released on the Arabesque label the following year.

Reception

The AllMusic review by Chris Kelsey said "If forced to choose between this eminently thoughtful soprano saxophonist's writing and improvising, I'd have to say it's her original tunes that might keep me coming back. Not that there's anything wrong with her playing. Quite the contrary. She gets a full, gently-inflected, well-centered sound on her finicky horn -- the kind that only a full-time soprano player can produce with consistency. In the past I've found her improvising somewhat mannered; here, however, she's as spontaneous as one could ask. Her ballad playing is especially effective. But I think it's the sophistication of her contexts that fixes her among the modern mainstream's elite". Jeff Simon of The Buffalo News gave the record four stars out of four, calling it "a superb disc."

Track listing

All compositions by Jane Ira Bloom except where noted
  1. "Nearly Summertime" – 5:24
  2. "Midnight Round/'Round Midnight" – 5:39
  3. "♭6 Bop" – 6:17
  4. "Midnight's Measure/In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" – 6:19
  5. "Painting Over Paris" – 5:57
  6. "Wing Dining" – 6:47
  7. "Panosonic" – 6:35
  8. "White Tower" – 4:09
  9. "It's a Corrugated World" – 5:42
  10. "Monk's Tale/The Nearness of You" – 3:32
  11. "Lonely House" – 6:49
  12. "The All-Diesel Kitchen of Tomorrow" – 4:07
  13. "Yonder" – 0:50

    Personnel