Rodney Whitaker, All Too Soon: The Music of Duke Ellington, Origin Records (2019)

• Brian Lynch: trumpet
• Diego Rivera: tenor sax
• Michael Dease: trombone
• Richard Roe: piano
• Rodney Whitaker: bass
• Karriem Riggins: drums
• Kavon Gordon: drums (11,12)
• Rockelle Whitaker: vocals

Part of Whitaker’s “now that I’m 50” series, this recording is themed on the music of Duke Ellington. Whitaker himself may seem old or dated to some young listeners just because he’s in his fifties and has been active in the jazz world since the 1980s. But then he takes us back a whole lot further with Ellington. So when Ellington died in 1974 I was in the sixth grade. Doesn’t feel all that long ago to me… but then, that’s just my perspective. But get this! Until his death Ellington was the active leader of his orchestra; a role that he began in the 1920s! He lead his band for six decades! And perhaps his most prolific years as a composer were in the 30s and 40s. Now that is some serious history. In order to pay tribute to Ellington on this outing, Whitaker put together a three horn band and while I wouldn’t call it a “big band”, they are surely capable of sounding like one at times.

Twelve Ellington tunes run the spectrum from fast to slow, loud to soft, romp and stomp to introspective. The distinguishing marks of this particular recording would probably be the vocals of Whitaker’s daughter Rockelle and the ever present horns. But to tell you the truth, it was the leader’s bass solos that warmed my heart more than anything else. Every time he solos it sets my mind at ease. He’s just that good I guess. So below this you’ll find a few of my very brief notes from my initial listen to this CD.

Cotton Tail: Loud and busy Not very relaxing.

All To Soon: Vocal ballad. Nice muted trombone solo

Take the A Train: Fairly complex bass/piano intro. Everyone solos.

Just Squeeze Me: Light tune. Awesome bass solo. Followed by a second bass solo.

Mood Indigo: A smooth intro with bass, piano and drums. Vocal follows. Very moody arrangement. Sax solo seems too lively for this arrangement. Another great bass solo.

It Don’t Mean a Thing: Standard 4 beat but not rushed or overly busy. Full round of solos beginning with the bass!

Harlem Air Shaft: Funkiest tune so far.

Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me: Melody carried by the vocalist and trombone. Interesting combination.

Perdido: All about the horns. The piano finally solos but is really tinkly. Concluding bass solo ends it on a great note.

Azure: Slow tune featuring the vocal. Trombone and muted trumpet enrich the moody theme.

Come Sunday: Sax lead-in for the vocal. Gospel influence arrangement. The piano solo swings!

Caravan: A tune that lopes along with a tinge of mystery. Vocalist takes the lead with a scattish solo. Sax follows with a very different mood; then the piano that takes the mood back to where the vocalist had it. But the whole arrangement is themed on the contrasting feel of the sax and the vocal and purposely jumps back and forth repeatedly.

I can’t really say I’m a huge Ellington fan. Not that I have anything against him or his music at all. It’s just that I rarely listen to music from that period. Most of my stuff is more contemporary. While it is readily evident at first listen, that this CD is themed on older music, it does a couple of things well. First is to preserve the timelessness of classic jazz music. And second is to give a new, refreshed and contemporary slant to some rather old music. Both tasks are done quite well in this case.

Bruce Harris, Beginnings, Posi-Tone Records (2017)

• Bruce Harris: trumpet
• Dmitry Baevsky: alto sax
• Frank Basile: baritone sax
• Andy Farber: tenor sax
• Grant Stewart: tenor sax
• Jerry Weldon: tenor sax
• Michael Weiss: piano
• Clovis Nicolas: bass
• Pete Van Nostrand: drums

There are so many factors to being an accomplished jazz musician. But just to focus on one, soloing is a crucial part of jazz music, regardless of the instrument. I’ve always had a lot of respect for the music of Wynton Marsalis and one of the many reasons is his soloing. When Wynton solos it always sounds fresh. The complete absence of overworked clichés, combined with incredibly fitting choice of notes, choice of riffs, choice of embellishments… it all just makes for an incredibly pleasurable listening experience. And Wynton does it better than anyone else I know. It all sounds new and original, and yet it fits so well and just feels like notes and chord progressions that were destined to be combined since the beginning of time. So why all this blabber about Wynton? Because Bruce Harris is a young trumpeter from New York who on this, his first release, displays an amazingly mature ability to solo in the manner described above. Harris is really good! As he improvises his solos he comes up with notes and lines that sound absolutely perfect. They just do! I recently encounters Harris’ name on another CD and got curious so I found and quickly ordered this CD. I’m really glad I did. All of the musicians are new to me. I guess it just goes to show how out of touch I am with the younger generation of jazz musicians. These are all really accomplished players and yet somehow, I’m just hearing about them now. It makes me want to look up each and every one of them but I’m afraid of what that would do to the pocket book! Anyway, below are my brief thoughts and comments on each cut.

Ask Questions: (original) Infectiously upbeat. Great mood, great solos, sounds like a time-honored standard tune.

Ill Wind: A true classic by one of America’s most prolific song-writers. Groovy swing with the in-the-pocket drums and boppy bass setting the mood. Laidback soloing that goes right along with the groovy sound. Harris determines the solo groove with his muted horn and everyone else follows along. Horn arrangement is actually quite sophisticated and tight. Harris’ soloing is mature. No clichés and yet sounds incredibly relevant.

Mr. Blakey: More of a bandstand sound. But Harris’ solo is crazy good. So original, so in the groove, so deep in the changes.

Snowbound: ballad. More muted Harris. The soloing shines!

The Step: (original) some sort of inverted blues chord progression. After the march like intro it melds into a swinging piano solo. Followed by muted trumpet solo. It all sounds so pulled together… laid back blues… two tenor solos followed by the first bass solo of the record.

Do U Lie?: (prince) Weird choice for a song, but then this Prince number was weird to begin with. Actually sounds more normal and at home here than it does on Prince’s original release in 1986.

Una Noche Con Francis: The Bud Powell classic, sounding just as frolicky as it did in the original. Sounds like a soundtrack to a comedy TV show from the sixties. First combination of alto, tenor and baritone. Sounds really rich and full.

So Near, So Far: (original) Ballad. Muted again. Really classy trumpet solo with staccato piano accompanying midway thru.

All in all, this CD was a great find for me and I heartily recommend it to anyone! Check it out!

Herlin Riley, Perpetual Optimism, Mack Avenue (2019)

• Herlin Riley: drums
• Emmet Cohen: piano
• Russell Hall: bass
• Godwin Louis: alto saxophone
• Bruce Harris: trumpet

I’m always happy to hear from Herlin Riley. He is one of the young lions that came to the cutting edge of jazz in the 80s alongside the likes of Wynton Marsalis. He’s in his sixties now and lists the names of five children and ten grandchildren in his liner notes. Wow! This makes me feel old… Another thing about the recording that got my attention was the unfamiliar names. I don’t know any of these band members so I was obviously eager to hear them.

Once I actually got into the listening I was a bit surprised and mildly disappointed by the shallowness of the soundstage. The trumpet is frequently muted, but even when playing open, it just doesn’t have much depth. The alto sax is an inherently tinny sounding instrument so I can’t really fault this recording. But I was longing for a deeper, richer sound as I went thru this CD.

Many of the tunes are kind of bouncy, with a medium-fast tempo and lots of 1 and 3 drumming. Nothing wrong with that… in fact it’s the signature sound of people as famous and prolific as Art Blakey. There are a couple of ballads mixed in, which is surely needed here. The title cut is uptempo but has a somewhat complex time signature which makes it interesting. Towards the end of the CD there are suddenly a couple of distinctly funky sounding tunes, providing a welcome mood shift. Then we get to the final two tunes… and what can I say… these two tunes sound like they are in a completely different category than everything else on this recording. First, Stella By Starlight, a standard and a classic that was penned in the 1940s and has stood the test of time over and over again. It’s the first and only cut featuring just the rhythm section and it just oozes with authenticity. So rich, so deep, and so refined! This is great stuff. And then the CD concludes with the Ellis Marsalis classic, Twelve’s It. The horns return on this one but once again, it is fantastic. The composition, the arrangement, the swing… it’s all there in abundance. Even the horns sound deeper and more rooted on this tune. At the very end there is a rather unnecessary attempt at a rapping homage to Ellis Marsalis. But it’s OK. I still love this tune and this particular recording of it. So all in all, not the most satisfying CD, but not bad either. I could listen to this entire CD again and probably will before too long. But I think some of Riley’s earlier CDs were better.

Jeremy Pelt, The Art of Intimacy, Vol.1, Highnote Records (2020)

• Jeremy Pelt: trumpet
• George Cables: piano
• Peter Washington: bass

Collections of ballads are not unusual for jazz artists. At some point every musician probably feels the need to just slow things down a bit and be mellow. This recording surely fits that description. And in that sense, it isn’t particularly original. All but three of the tunes are standards so this isn’t primarily a collection of new or original ballads either. But there is something very unique about this outing. It’s the makeup of the band. Trumpet, piano and bass! That’s right… no drums. One can’t help but take note of the results. To be sure, there are multiple points where I find myself fully expecting some smooth brush-work or a soft cymbal to punctuate the sound, but it never does. So does that take something away from the music… or could it be that it actually adds something? Pelt claims the latter to be the case for two reasons. The slimmed down structure of this trio results in giving the three “closer communication”. Secondly, it made formulating arrangements “much more challenging”. Working with fewer ingredients forces the arranger to work a little harder and Pelt seems to have embraced this challenge. I could add a third benefit of this trio structure. It gives each instrument a more prominent place in the overall sound. In particular, drums, piano and a dancing horn can often sort of drown out the bass. But in this configuration the bass is always very present; never blending off into the background. Perhaps the album title has as much to do with the band chemistry as it does some sort of romantic theme.

On a personal front I tend to enjoy fast paced jazz more than ballads and would typically conclude that the standard practice of including 1 or 2 in an album is about the right balance. I just feel more energized by lively music. At the same time, this latest release by Pelt maintains a consistency of sound that is neither dull or dreary. No, I would thing words like lush, rich, intricate and solid would better describe what I’m hearing. And did I mention smooth? From start to finish… oh so smooth! Check it out. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Joey Alexander, Warna, Verve (2020)

• Joey Alexander: piano
• Larry Grenadier: acoustic bass
• Kendrick Scott: drums
• Luisito Quintero: percussion (1,4,10)
• Anne Drummond: flute (7,12)

I’m always happy when Joey Alexander releases another recording. His career seems to be progressing incredibly well, and he’s even starting to lose the baby-face and look like the teenager that he is. This recording features 10 of his original compositions and 2 standards. He clearly had a very deep well of creativity when it comes to composing. As for his piano playing, well what can I say? He’s incredible and appears to be maintaining his awesome ability to avoid cliches of any sort. He always seems to have an original and profound musical thought for each moment. 

Another unique thing about this recording is the mic-ing technology. I don’t have any specific technical information but the result is a distinct 3D sound that enveloped me in a 360 degree sphere of music. Of course, this is the kind of stuff that my Magnapan speakers excel at, but even so, it was quite engaging. Much of the sound originates from points directly to my left and right, and sometimes even behind me. Now I should be clear; it isn’t a very realistic sound stage. In someways it’s almost as if the listener is placed right in the middle of the drum set. Snare and some cymbals are coming from my left and other drums and cymbals originate from my right. The same goes for the piano. It’s as if the listener is seated in Joey’s lap. Left hand keys come from forward-left and right hand keys from forward-right. Realistic or not, it definitely draws you in!

Warna, the title track is uptempo with exciting percussion and a distinctly positive vibe. Mocaic is a laid back ballad that just makes you want to sit back and soak it all in. Lonely Streets is also in a mellow mood with a walking bass line that swings. Downtime picks up the tempo again with a happy sounding chord progression and the added energy of Quintero on percussion. Affirmation I is a pensive ballad piano solo. Inner Urge is the first standard, a Joe Henderson composition that builds from mid-tempo to uptempo, with a sparse bass solo, a burning piano solo and a long drum solo. We Here is the first tune featuring Anne Drummond on flute, where she takes the opening melody followed by a solo. Tis Our Prayer has a regal sort of church sound but doesn’t really go anywhere even though it sounds like it’s building up to something big. In contrast, Fragile (a Gordon Sumner “aka Sting” tune) has a pop-like chord progression and at first I thought it was about to morph into Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive”. Of course Alexander’s rendition doesn’t sound much like Sting! Our Story is an unusual combination of jumpy drums with a slow moving piano melody and groovy chord progression. Affirmation III (not sure where II went…) begins as a piano solo again but then the rest of the trio join in and it gets pretty lively by the end. The closing number is The Light, another ballad featuring Drummond on the flute again. All in all, this is a very pleasing listen and I just hope Alexander keeps making great music and sharing it with us. 

Zach Brock, Serendipity, Criss Cross Jazz (2015)

• Zach Brock: violin, baritone violin
• Aaron Goldberg: piano
• Matt Penman: bass
• Obed Calvaire: drums

This is the third Zach Brock CD I’ve purchased but there was a long break between my reviews of the first two and this one. I was overseas for six months and didn’t get to do any dedicated listening. So here I am, back in my recliner, locked into place on the Magnaplaner sound stage and enjoying the wonderful music.

This is really lively music, and above all, it swings. The first two cuts are pure positive energy. But just when you want to get up and dance, the tone goes totally mellow on the incredibly romantic and lyrical ballad, Swansea. The beat picks right up again on the funky Sunday Walk. Brock’s phrasing ranges from rhythmic staccato to vocalistic swooning and moaning. That’s what makes his sound so fresh and distinct.

Leonard Bernstein’s classic ballad, Some Other Time, brings us back into the mellow zone. But don’t get too comfortable because the next cut is Charlie Parker’s Segment… a light-hearted jaunt that is still very rich on substance and gives Goldberg some wonderful opportunities to sing those keys. Brock really cuts loose on this one too, eventually getting into a three way session of trading fours with Goldberg and Calvaire.

Sally’s Song slows down the tempo but isn’t really a ballad as such. More like a mood piece. Brock is followed by bassist Penman and then Goldberg. They all stay in the same, moody mode. It’s a piece that was written for Tim Burton’s 1993 animated Film, “The Nightmare Before Christmas”. Brock’s original, Summer Dance closes out this session. Once again, lots of energy and drive, deep swing with a modal feel to it. The bridge in this tune is really unusual, and creates a great platform for Calvaire to really heat it up.

At the beginning I mentioned the sound stage created by my Maggies. This recording was particularly unusual in that regard. It places the listener right in the studio, among the musicians. No sounds are ever heard coming directly from the speakers. The drums are behind and to the right of the right speaker, in the corner of the room. The piano and bass are behind and to the left of the left speaker. And Brock’s violin is directly to the left of the listener with overtones spanning the entire sound stage. While certainly an unconventional staging pattern, and clearly one that was not 100% natural, but rather created with some editorial magic, nevertheless it is a really fun experience for the listener!

All in all, this is another wonderful contribution by Zach Brock. His knowledge of and commitment to the art are manifest; his virtuosity indisputable, his energy and enthusiasm contagious, and his voice so profoundly unique. Check it out!

Zack Brock, Almost never was, Criss Cross Jazz (2012)

• • Zach Brock: violin, baritone violin
  • Aaron Goldberg: piano
  • Matt Penman: bass
  • Eric Harland: drums

So I’ve finally gotten around to reviewing another Zach Brock CD. This is his first release with Criss Cross and it is a gem! Goldberg, Penman and Harland combine with Brock on a broad repertoire including three Brock originals and a genuinely diverse collection of other tunes. Standards by the likes of Joe Henderson and Thelonius Monk are interspersed with tunes not typically considered part of the jazz songbook. The closing tune is a Jimi Hendrix number. But in every instance Brock brings his unique sound and arrangements to the fore and the outcome is uniformly good.

On two of his originals he puts his bow down momentarily and plucks the violin (pizzicato for the musicians in the crowd), adding a completely different dimension to his sound. Brock also uses the entire range of his instrument to great effect. He also frequently plays harmonies with two strings, and has this incredible ability to make his fiddle growl.

The highlight for me was the title cut, Almost Never Was. This is one of those tunes that just grabs my attention and won’t let go until the final note is plays. I totally get why he decided to name the album after it. This CD gets my complete appreciation and recommendation. Check it out!

Jeremy Pelt, Jeremy Pelt The Artist, HighNote Records (2019)

• Jeremy Pelt: trumpet, effects
• Victor Gould: piano, fender rhodes
• Vincente Archer: bass
• Allan Mednard: drums
• Ismel Wignall: percussion
• Chien Chien Lu: vibraphone, marimba
• Alex Wintz: guitar
• Frank Locrasto: fender rhodes, effects

Jeremy Pelt’s latest work is intentionally artistic, by his own admission. Commissioned to pen a new musical work, Pelt chose to draw inspiration from art museums, and from the Musee Rodin in Paris in particular. Specific works cited in the liner notes include L’Appel Aux Armes, The Burghers of Calais, The Gates of Hell, and L’Eternal Printemps. These works serve as the core for the Rodin Suite which has five parts. Four more numbers follow but there are no explanations in the liner notes.

Smooth is the one word I would use to describe this entire recording. There are lots of different sounds, different moods, tempos, rhythms and melodies but they are all done with a distinctive fluidity that just sounds smooth. The reference to specific works of art probably adds another dimension for art lovers, but for someone like me it wasn’t all that significant. I didn’t try looking at the artwork while listening, for fear of being distracted. 

The first five cuts are part of a suite dedicated to the French artist, August Rodin. To me they sound like they are more about mood than music. Maybe that’s a gross oversimplification or blatant misinterpretation… but it’s what I felt. The last four cuts are a bit more musically engaging, with the final number probably being my favorite. 

Pelt has definitely put his compositional skills at the forefront on this CD and lets his trumpet playing land somewhere behind that. Not to say there is anything lacking or deficient in his playing, but just that it doesn’t seem to be the main focus of this recording at all. I wouldn’t say this is my favorite Pelt CD, but it’s definitely engaging in a variety of ways. If you happen to be an art lover familiar with the work of Rodin I would love to hear your thoughts after listening to this newest release from Jeremy Pelt.

Zach Brock, Purple Sounds, Criss Cross Jazz (2014)

• Zach Brock: violin, baritone violin
• Lage Lund: guitar
• Matt Penman: bass
• Obed Calvaire: drums

I first heart Zach Brock on WyCliffe Gordon’s recording, The Intimate Ellington/ Ballads and Blues and was really blown away by his playing. I really can’t claim to have listened to much violin jazz in the past, but what little I have heard sounded nothing like Brock. The visceral energy he brings to his playing is expressed in an incredibly rich and diverse sound scope. His violin can sing, it can scat, it can holler, and it can most definitely growl! It’s just amazing. Just recently I’ve finally looked up and ordered three of his releases from the same label as Gordon’s mentioned above, Criss Cross and two have already arrived. This is the 2014 release… his second from this label and the unique characteristic of this recording is the absence of a piano and sort of in its place, guitarist Lage Lund. The repertoire is made up of classics by composers such as jazz giants Dizzy Gillespie, Django Reinhardt and Charlie Parker but also a tune from Frank Zappa, whom Brock has worked with in the past. He has included a couple of originals as well.

Whether it’s because of the missing piano or not, the arrangements on this outing tend to be somewhat minimalist. The bass and drums tend to remain very laid back throughout. Several tunes begin with the two strings stating the theme in unison before branching out. The classics tend to be rather highly arranged, sometimes becoming significantly more complex than the original. Going into it, I wasn’t sure how the guitar/violin combination would work but I have to say, it is rather nice. The guitar is the more flexible of the two, being able to solo, harmonize and also play backup chords. I found myself wondering whether Brock ever considered playing back up chords on the violin when the guitar was soloing. It never happens here, even though the guitar almost always does so for the soloing violin. 

Brock’s appearance with WyCliffe Gordon was really lively, even funky music. This outing would probably have to be classified as a bit more serious. Nevertheless, it is rich, multi-layered music featuring some rather unusual and even eclectic sounds. My next review will probably be Brock’s next release with Criss Cross that features a traditional rhythm section. But I can certainly say this one was quite engaging and pleasant. 

Donald Harrison and Terence Blanchard, Dolphy Little Remembered, ProJazz King Records (1987)

• Mal Waldron: piano
• Richard Davis: bass
• Eddie Blackwell: drums
• Donald Harrison: alto sax, bass clarinet
• Terence Blanchard: trumpet

Eric Dolphy and Booker Little were two young musicians who died way too early. Perhaps their most memorable outing was a week at the Five Spot, a jazz club in New York in July of 1961. Little, in his early twenties, was dead by the end of that year and Dolphy, in his thirties, died in 1964. Both deaths were huge losses for the world of jazz. Fortunately the music from their date at the Five Spot was recorded and later released on a three record set. In 1986, twenty five years after the original recording, two young horn players, Donald Harrison and Terence Blanchard, did a memorial concert at Sweet Basil in commemoration of the Dolphy-Little gig. They were able to gather the original three members of of the rhythm section; Mal Waldron on piano, Richard Davis on bass and Eddie Blackwell on drums and while not trying to recreate the originals, they played mostly the same numbers. It was a memorable event and fortunately it too was recorded and released on two separate CDs. A few nights ago I listened to the first of three records from the original performance. Tonight I’m listening to the first of the two Harrison/Blanchard CDs. The songs are organized in different orders so only one cut from this CD was on the first Dolphy/Little record.

What struck me even before listening to the music was the passage of time. The Dolphy/Little recording has always seemed like ancient history because it happened before I was born (by less than a year…) The Harrison/Blanchard memorial gig has always seemed like contemporary jazz to me because it came out when I was first getting into jazz and the CDs have been in my collection ever since. But here is the surprising/sobering fact that came to my attention tonight as I prepared to listen to this music again. More time has passed since Harrison and Blanchard did the memorial gig (thirty three years!) than separates the original from the memorial gig (twenty five years). Yes, cliche as it sounds, I am reminded of just how old I’m getting and how my perceptions of the passage of time are oddly out of sync with reality. But perhaps more significantly, I’m eager to hear this music again to see if it really sounds that old. I must admit that the recording from 1961 does sound old, albeit mostly for technological reasons. The sound quality just isn’t there so it isn’t as easy for the listener to be transported into another space and time… So let’s see how this “new” recording from a mere thirty three years ago sounds today.

The Prophet: Same 21 minutes as the original… similarly astringent sounding horns playing that clashing harmony at the intro. Nice, long solos… truly a live performance at a jazz club. Sax solo followed by trumpet, and then the pace picks up mid-way thru trumpet solo, only to slow back down again… like a bridge. Piano solo: would love to know what Waldron was feeling at this point and should probably take a closer listen to the original to compare, but not tonight. Recording or my system, or hearing aids making it sound like an electric piano though! Not nice at all. Over all a little more laid back than original. Bass solo is perhaps the exception, sounding a little fast and in your face compared to the rest of the tune. Returns to the theme and then closes out.

Aggression: This tune appears on disc two of the original. Upbeat. Starts with two horn statement of the theme as was so common with Dolphy and Little and then jumps quickly into trumpet solo, moving at a nice clip. Sax solo is equally energetic. Waldron’s solo is the highlight… awesome modal construct. And finally a drum solo; sounds more integrated than the drum solos on the original, that almost had an obligatory tone.

Booker’s Waltz: A tune penned by Dolphy in spite of the title! Appears on third disc of the original. Mid-tempo ballad with a stride feel. Nice, flowing solos. Bass solo is nicer than the previous one; other than the arco. But then again, for bass players who cut their teeth on 1960s quality recordings, it’s sort of easy to understand the appeal of an arco pickup. This might be the nicest tune of the CD. 

Listening to this CD definitely makes me wish I was there at Sweet Basil. A lively performance with an amazing combination of two young, up and coming players backed by three rock solid veterans. And all in the context of another historic performance a quarter of a century earlier. Damn! I wish I could have been there! But this is next best… in the comfort of my own listening room; sitting in a recliner way more luxurious than any chair at a club; drinking a craft IPA better than most beer served at most jazz clubs; and hearing it thru my very nice sound system… yup, I have to admit; this ain’t bad… not bad at all! Having bought and repeatedly listened to a lot of stuff by Harrison and Blanchard, I have to say that Harrison’s playing on this recording is really nice. On other discs I sometimes get the feeling that he is a little bit too quick to go into the netherworld when soloing; but on this outing he kept things closer to the bone. That might actually be surprising considering that Dolphy was definitely prone to venturing into the netherworld at length. Blanchard is fairly subdued on this recording; but in a satisfying sort of way. I’m just so glad these two guys took the time to pay homage to Dolphy and Little, and even more glad that they are still alive, over thirty years later.