Sometimes, you never quite know what’s going to work. You’ve got two ingredients that maybe you don’t thing are so great, but put them together and you get the big surprise. Subtle combinations can often surprise.
Tom Harrell -
Roman Nights
My favorite Tom Harrell record is actually a Jim Hall record.
These Rooms was a Jim Hall Trio album featuring Tom Harrell. Really great stuff. There was a certain synergy between Harrell’s flugelhorn and Hall’s guitar. Some of that kind of thing is evident on
Roman Nights. Danny Grissett’s beautiful piano introduction on the title track leads into Harrell’s smokey theme. On the higher end of the energy scale is the closing “Bird In Flight.” As usual, I am hooked by inspired unison play and this song is full of it. When Harrell and tenor player Wayne Escoffery start trading solos, you know you’re onto something.
Eric Reed & Cyrus Chestnut - Plenty Swing, Plenty Soul
To my ears, the reference standard of piano duo recordings has to be that Chick Corea/Herbie Hancock thing. Monstrous, is what it is. This is a little different though. First it’s Reed and Chestnut (duh). Second, there’s the presence of bass and drums (Dezron Douglas, Willie Jones III). The title gets it right. There is mad swing going on here. The intertwined introduction to “All The Things You Are” is just so fine. The rest of the piece swings in it’s own sweet, restrained way. My favorite track “Two Bass Hit.” Their take on it just
burns.
Dave Glasser - Evolution
Sax, piano, bass, & drums. Staples in the jazz world. Sometimes, that combination can be bland. If the players don’t add a little spice to the proceedings, you quickly realize that you’ve been here before. (”What? Intro-head-solos-head
again?!) Thankfully, Dave Glasser knows how to apply the leverage to that alto and his band knows how to react. The angular introduction to “Monk’s Blues” builds just the right amount of tension before the launch into a very swinging piece built on a series of widely-spaced intervals. It’s a nice tribute to Monk and a kindred spirit to their version of the man’s “Rhythm-A-Ning.”
Earl MacDonald - Re: Visions
Subtitled “Works for Jazz Orchestra,” this album showcases the arranging talents of Earl MacDonald as well as a stellar cast of cohorts. I have to be honest here and say that big-ish bands are not usually my thing. That is, unless they’re doing something “odd” (see: Carla Bley, The Either Orchestra). This recording grabbed me from the first note, specifically, the
giant horn blast that opens “Friday Night At The Cadillac Club.” There are a lot of styles to consider here, from the blues of that opening track to the joyous swing of “Bu Who.” The ears must always be trusted though, and they pick “Character Defect” as the standout. It’s one of those pieces that has a lot of inner detail. There’s a lot going on and yet the theme, built over time, is never lost to the individual moments. MacDonald’s piano playing is terrific here.
Joe Chambers - Horace To Max
There are drummers who can keep time, who stay out of the way in the effort to enhance their fellow musicians’ sound. Moving a step beyond that are people like Joe Chambers, who play with so much nuance and obvious consideration for the ongoing moment that what you’re hearing is no longer mere percussion, but a living part of the music. Just listen to the comping that Chambers does during bassist Dwayne Burno’s bass solo on “Asiatic Raes.” It’s like he’s filling all of those little cracks that neither musician knew existed. Just check out the subtle support given to Nicole Guiland during “Lonesome Lover,” or the thermonuclear swing of “Evidence.”
First published at Blogcritics magazine
