Golfing With Branford

Saxophonist Marsalis Expounds on the State of Jazz While Walking the Links

It’s not often one gets to chat seriously about music with a top-flight musician who is making his comments in between shots on the golf course. Unusual to say the least. Such was the case recently with Branford Marsalis.

Wait. Marsalis? One of the hard-liners from the 1980s? You’re fucking with me.

Nope. The conversation took place via telephone as Marsalis, wearing an earphone, strode Treyburn Country Club in Durham, NC, where he lives. I offered to postpone. He handled it all in stride.

“We’re breaking the mold. You can (write), ‘Wait a minute. He hit his ball 20 yards to the left, and then cursed.’ And go on from there.”

[Photo: Branford and Joey Calderazzo at Newport Jazz Fest, 2009. © R.J. DeLuke]

The conversation covered many bases, disrupted on occasion by the swing of his own club, or by ball-busting comments to the rest of the foursome, which included the pianist of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, Joey Calderazzo. It was the basis for a story at the All About Jazz website. Marsalis, now 52, has mellowed, even by his own admission. Things in the music business that he can’t control roll off his back. Even if they still irk him. That said, he’s as forthright as ever on topics that come up and his knife is still sharp when he looks at the world of jazz and what he sees as its blemishes. His take is different and merits some attention.

As a youngster, he was one of the Young Lions. He and his brother Wynton, tried to play it all. They flexed their chops and burned ahead. Young exuberance. It’s different now. There’s a mellowness. Not in his playing. His playing over the years is more of a distillation. Putting that aggression through a filter and finding the better stuff on the other side. He still forges ahead as one of the finer saxophonists of his generation. But he tries not to get too much ahead of the audience, he says. He claims too many people in jazz music are doing that nowadays.

There‘s a lot of cussing going on. Part of golf. Good natured stuff. “I curse before I swing. I do more cursing than swinging,” I reveal about my own golf game. “No,” he tries to correct, “It’s swing. Then curse. It’s not curse, then swing. It’s swing, then curse.” I never did have that down pat.

His 2012 CD, Four MFs Playin’ Tunes (Marsalis Music) is as advertised, the band, spurred on by relatively new drummer Justin Faulkner (“Tain” Watts had been with Branford forever), weaves and bobs. They burn and play beautiful ballads. The leader says the group tries to kill it each night. Might not quite grab it each time. But they’re reaching. And they’re mindful that the stuff doesn’t rocket past the audience.

“I’m not disavowing the complexity. The shit we play is complex. Listen to the record. But at the end of the day, when you hear people talking about why jazz is not popular, they have a million reasons. Radio, they’re playing pop music. They blame all this bullshit. People who listen to music listen to really simple things. The song has to have a good beat and the song has to have a melody they can relate to. When you listen to modern jazz, they have neither. They have guys who don’t know how to play swing, who are playing ostinato grooves that aren’t funky at all. So they lose the groove part. Then the melodies aren’t singable.”

“At the end of the day, yeah, there’s all this complex shit that needs to go on. Much like the thing that supposedly got me in trouble for saying about Cecil Taylor -- It ain’t the audience’s job to grasp that. That’s our job. We’re supposed to learn all that shit … you learn all this shit, then you communicate it to people in a way they can understand it.”

His swing and strike of the ball is audible. “Uh-oh. Uh-oh.“ Ball’s in the air. “Cut please. Cut for me. No? … Fuck.” Part of the game. “OK,” he resigns himself as he heads toward the frustrating little white orb which wasn‘t quite where it was supposed to go.

“When you listen to a jazz radio station, it’s a style of music where all the shit sounds the same. Which is kind of like the pop music is, ironically. Except (in jazz) the solos might be more complex … They have that same formulated nature. I am not interested in participating in shit like that. I’m just not. Guys do a song. They have a bass vamp they start the song with. Eight bars of vamp, then the melody comes in. The trumpet player plays, the saxophone player plays, the piano player plays. The bass player will probably play. The drummer takes a solo then the head comes out. Then when the song is over, the song ends twice.

“Even with Blakey’s band they would just go, [he hums an ending … da-da DET, dah dah dah, dah-da deh-da] and the song ends. Now they do [repeats: da-da DET, dah dah dah, dah-da deh-da, then he hums a faster tempo--a mish mash where the line is blurred and tails off in a different direction]. Then they hit a chord--Bang. So the song has two endings. It’s just little things. You already played a long-ass solo. Do you really need to solo some more at the end of the song? The structure of the song and the function of the song and the purpose of the song is just pushed aside for this ideology of: Listen to how great I sound. I don’t buy it.”

He’s honest. But not upset. Hell, he’s enjoying his day on the links.

“It used to bother me. Joey and I often talk and complain about shit we hear. We complain about it, but talking about them is not going to make us better. If their goal is to get better, then they’ll hear the shit we’re talking about. If they don’t hear it, OK. They hear it or they don’t.”

“I’m doing a fucking interview,” he says to the group … “It’s a 5. I double clicked, otherwise it wouldn’t have been. I’m going to leave y’all to it. I’m going to go over here so Joey doesn’t have an excuse to piss and moan,” he busts, laughing.

“After 11 years of playing with Branford, I’m still nervous to play with him,” Calderazzo said to me about a year ago. I’m comfortable, but … and I had the same thing with Mike (Brecker). Mike kept you on the top of your game … He played every performance like it was going to be his last. Branford’s attitude is not that. It’s a funny thing. My take on it is: no matter where it is, it’s just another performance. The two of them are polar opposites, but it works for each one of them. It very interesting. I’ve learned from both of them. Branford is very nonchalant” Also, said the pianist, “Branford is undoubtedly my best friend.”

Says Marsalis between golf shots, “Somebody asked me about European jazz and I used to have this long explanation. It was such a dishonest conversation and I don’t speak the language. But then I find out (European) writers were writing that when it was brought up, I began to get agitated and angry. Which isn’t true. Sometimes when I talk I get agitated, but it’s as I get excited. So now, I just say, ‘That shit’s great.’ As long as I don’t sound like that, they are awesome. That‘s how I feel about a lot of this shit. If people think it’s great--there’s no evidence of record sales or ticket sales that the shit is great--but if that’s what they think is great, more power to them.

“I’m hittin’ ‘em OK. I’m playing bogey golf so far. I had two good shots, one bad shot and two putts.”

“I just did a gig, a small gig, in Atlanta, for a golf tournament. The guy’s a friend of mine and good golfer. Said he wanted me to play a tune. I said, ‘I don’t play by myself.’ He said he would get a bunch of local guys. So I meet this guy. At the beginning of it, Mac Davis played. He wrote songs for Elvis. He wrote ‘In the Ghetto’ and all this stuff. So Mac’s playing and the people are screaming and hollering. So already I get it. The audience is not a jazz audience. I’m keenly aware of that. In my thinking, this should inform the decision about the song you play.

“So it’s our turn to play, and this guy plays ‘Well You Needn’t’ as fast as a motherfucker. It takes the audience about 45 seconds to start talking (among themselves). How can you be that unaware of the surroundings? We should have played ‘Cheek to Cheek’ and they would have liked it. And all of Thelonious Monk’s songs, the slower they are the better they sound. … That’s what I mean when I say there’s a disengaged understanding of the showbiz elements of music.

“I want to play jazz. I have an informed opinion on it now. I’m not 22 anymore. I have a sense of what works and what doesn’t work. There’s slight adjustments you can make and you can fuck around and accidentally have a 50-year career. Or you can choose not to do that.”

Dig or not, there’s a commitment there. A design. His band is always busy. Road tested. Ready to wail. Agree or disagree--Fine either way. Marsalis is one to stand up and be counted. The chips will fall where they may, and for he and the quartet, they’ve fallen in the right spot.

My only advice? Head down. Follow through … Cuss away.

Farewell Dave Brubeck

Iconic Pianist/Composer Is American Legend, Icon, Music Master, Worldwide Legend

Dave Brubeck would have been 92 today. Instead, the world mourns the loss of his passing yesterday at the age of 91. A master of music, particularly that which we call jazz. He knew and composed much more music than that. He did so much in his storied career that the lengthy obits in major newspapers and the tributes that will come through jazz websites and periodicals can do little more than scratch the surface.

[Photos are all mine, taken at the Newport Jazz festival in recent years. © R.J. DeLuke]

I won't even attempt to survey his career. His Washington Post obit is here.

He and Miles Davis are the two most recognizable figures to the general public in jazz history. Despite the woeful stature of jazz in America, around the glove it's hard to find anyone who doesn't know those two, even if they know nothing about their mighty musical deeds.

By all standards, Dave Brubeck was a great man. His musical accomplishments are incredibly vast. he was also, by all accounts, a gentleman, generous of spirit. He was a family man. It shows in his children, who are the same. I have never met Dave. I know Dan and Chris. They are tremendous musicians and great guys. The apples falling near the tree.

The last time I saw Dave perform was in 2011 with a band called Triple Play that includes Chris Brubeck. One wouldn't expect a 90-year-old man to come running out on stage, and he didn't. It was a slow, gingerly approach. But the man still played some important piano and he beamed like a child on Christmas. Not all the dexterity was there on the keyboards. But he played the RIGHT stuff and knew how to deliver meaningful music. It might have been his last public performance

The world has lost a fine spirit and a tremendous musician who made a vast, deep imprint on world culture, not just American culture. Buy the albums, go to YouTube. Experience Dave Brubeck. The music is intricate, intelligent, varied...and joyful.

Glad I got to see him going back to the '70s, playing with Two Generations of Brubeck, a band that included sons Darius, Dan and Chris. Glad I saw the Dave Brubeck Quartet many times through the decades. Glad I saw him over the last few years play at Newport with Tony Bennett and Wynton Marsalis. Glad we had a Dave Brubeck.

Consolences to all the Brubecks --Wife Iola; sons Dan, Chris, Darius and Matt; daughter Cathy; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren, among others.

John Daversa is Putting Out Great Music

Trumpeter/Composer Arranger Scores Again

I knew virtually nothing about John Daversa last year when I heard his Progressive Big Band’s album Junk Wagon (BFM Jazz). I had to listen again … and again and again … not to find something good but to re-enforce that my first feeling was right. All this great music coming from a west coast cat whom I was ignorant of. It constantly moved in great directions.

Hip, modern, moving…fucking fun. Rock elements, but never dumbed down. Hip hop used in great fashion. It jumped to my “Best of 2011” list.

Along comes Artful Joy (BFM Jazz) this year, done with a smaller group but, as the superb drummer Peter Erskine says in his album liner notes, having a huge sound. It comes with the same celestial energy, remarkable compositions and take-no-prisoners execution.

Rock elements are present, but the music is invigorating and fresh with plenty of jazz and improv. There are slick grooves with arrangements that make the groove sparkle as well as move the feet. Forget waiting until December: This one is on the 2012 list, no problem. Again, it’s an album that can be listened to over and over. That shit isn’t all that easy today. I’ve been digging this one for weeks.

The music is alive, with vibrant rhythms from Jerry Watts on bass and Gene Coye on drums, along with subtle and effective work by Zane Carney that helps add texture it all. It jumps in hot right from the get-go with some burning trumpet from Daversa on the brief “Seven Grand.” He’s a fine player as well as arranger/bandleader.

The playing of Robby Marshall on tenor sax combines the best qualities of the tenor heritage. Great sound, phrasing. He’s soulful and smooth as silk with a great tone and excellent taste in the stories he tells from soft to cookin’. He's a great voice for this music and one of the major components of the overall feel of this record. He is sweet as hell throughout this disk.

“No Frets No Worries” is a stately ballad led by Daversa’s crisp, strong trumpet voice in combo with Marshall’s horn. The song has a big funky sound, but far from simple. Great solos. “Some Happy S’#t” seamlessly moves from serene to hot and exhilarating.

Going through each song serves no purpose. It’s universally outstanding. But I personally dig “Flirty Girl,” which is a slow vamp -- about as slow as you’ll hear a band play. Gearing down the tempo is not that easy. But bass and drums lock in with funky beats that are verrry hip. Simplified for great effect. Sprinkle in great Electric Valve Instrument (EVI) solo work by Daversa, soulful trumpet, tricky sprinkles of decorative keyboard work, slurpy tenor sax, and it’s a stone cold kick-ass, fun tune. It reminds me of how musicians nowadays use the Miles vehicle “Jean Pierre,” based on a simple riff, and play scorching stuff on top, putting the simplicity to such good use. (Herbie, Marcus Miller, Wayne, Wallace Roney, Robben Ford and others have all done this).

Daversa, who’s been leading his big band for more than 15 years and teaching out on the west coast, is from a musical family and it has served him well. As a player, leader and composer/arranger, this cat is killer.

Belated Cheers to Buddy Guy

Buddy Guy is Best of the Blues

A bit late on the draw, but one of the great blues man of all time has been named a recipient in the next round of Kennedy Center Honors, a prestigious national award in the field of the arts. Sonny Rollins is a recent recipient.

Buddy Guy is one of the finest -- Mount Rushmore finest -- of any who ever played the blues, the root music for jazz and rock. He’s been at the pinnacle for many, many years, despite jazz critics automatically penciling in B.B. King’s name when they choose a name for the Blues category in annual polls. He played the most outlandish, meanest, dirtiest, down-home-bluesiest guitar there was. No disrespect for B.B., whose stature is unquestioned (also Mount Rushmore), but he lost his fastball a long time ago.

Those who genuflect to Guy as a guitar slinger include drawing admiration from just about all corners of the rock and blues world, from Jimi Hendrix to Eric Clapton to Stevie Ray Vaughan and beyond. He can scorch the ground and play whispers. Sweet licks and wild shit. All packed with emotion.

He will never say he was better than other blues monsters. He holds them in high esteem. “I wish I could shake my wrist like B.B. King,” he said in a conversation we had nearly a decade ago, I think. He was referring to the sweet vibrato King would get playing one strong note on Lucille.

One striking night, however, was watching him play a set of acoustic blues after his Buddy Guy, Blues Singer album came out, an acoustic take on blues tunes, some dating waaaaaay back. His voice was wrought with emotion and the sounds that came from that guitar were sharp, piercing. Don’t know what gauge strings he had but he pulled them sometimes like Robin Hood about to fell a deer. And the sound! Geezus.

The idea came from his record company, who approached him and asked if he remembered the Muddy Waters album, made 1963, that he played on, called Muddy Waters, Folk Singer on the renowned blues label Chess. He was 27 at the time. Chess) featuring a 27-year-old Buddy Guy, which inspired Guy’s latest CD.

“And I said, ‘Man, I don’t think I forgot anything that I did with Muddy.’ They suggested that I go down and take a chance with some of those Son House tunes and a few older ones,” he recounted in our conversation.

It was in those days at Chess that he was already developing his signature electric sound that went in wild, gut-wrenching directions as he preached on his instrument. Before so many other, including Hendrix. (Not that Hendrix didn’t take things even farther in his own individual direction, and wonderfully so. He did). But he knows his stature ion the blues world, even though he’s humbled. And he respects and admires many of the jazz musicians from back in the day, in awe of what they can do as instrumentalists.

He also points out plainly that he was playing shit like no one else, but the people at Chess didn’t get it. Until they saw other people, including some from the British Invasion, making money at it.

Here’s the tale Buddy related the day of our conversation:

“Actually I was doing it when I did sessions with Muddy, Howlin’ Wolf and Little Walter and them. Before the session would start, I would turn my guitar up and let them hear that, and they would kick me out. About six months before (Chess executive Leonard Chess) died, he had heard about Hendrix had left New York and went into London, and Cream had come out and I think it was the Yardbirds and who else was playing it. He called me and said, ‘Motherfucker, that shit you’ve been trying to show us is hot as hell and selling records and we was too fucking dumb to know. Now, we’re going to let you record.’ I was kind of pissed at him. I never did get a chance to do it (with Chess). He died shortly after that.”

His guitar style, though, comes from “a Louisiana gumbo” cooked with ingredients of cats he loved to hear.

“The first Strat I saw was the late Guitar Slim who made a famous record, ‘Things I Used to Do.‘ And I got to see B.B. King, and those were the two guys coming out then with the hot sound on what they call the chitlin circuit. And I saw Guitar Slim. He was such a wild man on the stage. I said to myself, if I ever learn how to play guitar, I want to act like him. Then I started picking up from Muddy (Waters) and T-Bone (Walker) and everybody. I didn’t get hooked on one of them. I just loved them all so well I wanted to get a little piece of everything.”

Well, he’s a little longer in the tooth, but still wailing as he did at the White House recently when President Obama held a blues tribute that included the next (already) great blues slinger, Derek Trucks.

Long Live Buddy Guy.

And just one more quote from that day’s exchange, because it’s cool and says something about the man. “The world is mad.” (Editorial note: It still the fuck is) “So when I go to the stage and see my guitar playing or whatever I do makes somebody smile, I feel like I’m the richest guy in the world because if you got any kind of problem or difficulty, I made you forget them for a minute, because I saw you smiling.”

The Fabulous Cohen Brothers ... Plus Sister

3 Cohens Kick Ass at Newport

Early this year in a conversation with Anat Cohen, she expressed the joy she feels when she performs with her two equally talented siblings, brothers Yuval (older) and Avishai (younger) on sax and trumpet, respectively.

She said she had been watching Albert and Jimmy Heath and marveled at the vibe between them. (As also existed when Percy heath was still alive).

“That’s how I want to be,” she said. “I want to be in our 80s and go with Yuval and Avishai and travel the world. It would be so cool. Like the Heath Brothers. They’re so cool. It’s incredible. I’d love to be playing music with my brothers as much as I can. I love them. I respect them as people, as musicians. it’s something I hope we can pursue more.”

Amen to that, based on their performance at the Newport Jazz Festival last weekend. It was sizzling. Of course it helped they had one of the scenes fine drummer, Rudy Royston, as well as the Very talented Aaron Goldberg on piano and the superb Ruben Rogers on bass. They stokes the flames beneath the three horns in wonderful fashion.

Talk about being on fire. The 3 Cohens, as they are billed, blew the crowd away. The line for CDs went on for a lonnnnng time.

Out of the gate they jumped on Yuval’s composition “Blues For Dandi's Orange Bull Chasing An Orange Sack,” and took no prisoners. It started in a slow bluesy fashion, featuring Goldberg’s sweet piano, but then built into a storm. Up-tempo. Swingin’! Each Cohen was strong, vibrant and full of joy. Anat wears her heart on her sleeve when on stage--smiling, gesturing, dancing when listening to other soloists or the band as a whole. She’s filled with the spirit of the music and it spreads. A pure delight.

The family is from Tel Aviv in Israel. Yuval noted they were all honored to be playing at a festival that had so much tradition; so many historic moments. Newport, he quipped, was “Jazz-rusalem.”

Like most siblings, there’s a certain connection. It comes through. Each is a fantastic soloist with great stories to tell. Infused with strength and feeling. It was a great pleasure to hear Anat roar on tenor sax, summoning greats like Coltrane and Sonny in her attack. She’s so known as a great clarinet player (rightly so), that sax can go under the radar. It shouldn’t. Avishai is one of the bright voices among young trumpet players, and Yuval was great on soprano sax.

[Photos: Top, Anat; Middle, Avishai; Bottom, Yuval. © R.J. DeLuke]

Avishai’s “With The Soul Of The Greatest Of Them All” was another standout selection. And they covered a couple standards with style. Such energy. And joy.

They released a record last year: Family, on the Anzic label. Hope they keep it up, and hope to see more of this fine group.

Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Fest Always Features Some of the Best

At 35 years old, Festival retains its quality

The 35th annual Freihofer's Jazz Festival is always a gas. It's had nearly every major jazz player appear since 1978 and it has seen plenty of very young and then-unknown people gain some notoriety here in upstate New York and go on to great things.

The picnic/party is well know. That's not to say noisy and rocky. laid back. Relaxing as all hell. Family. Friends meet old friends. Meet new friends.

And high-quality music is always there. This year has the potential to stack very high.
On Saturday, the great bassist -- great musician -- Christian McBride is there. The great, great ensemble The Mingus Big band comes upstate. Must see stuff. Esperanza Spalding... her quick rise toward the top of the music world is well deserved not hype. She's a fine bassist, a singer whose talent is growing. And she has s great presence; surrounds herself with great musicians. Jeremy Pelt, one of the finer trumpet players brings his band in. Michel Camilo, a virtuoso pianist is there.

[Pictures: Top, Roberta Gambarini at the gazebo stage in 2001. Bottom: Hilary Kole at the same stage in 2011. © R.J. DeLuke]

This is all Saturday! And add young very fine players like Mario Abney on trumpet and Haily Niswanger on sax. Singer Catherine Russell is also an on-the-rise vocalist with a strong soulful voice. Shee-it. For fans of less-dense jazz (that was diplomatic) ... There's Chris Botti and Maceo Parker.

Sunday features more greats. The trio of Oz showcases the stunning drumming of Omar Hakeem and the piano fo Rachel Z. They mesh so well and they're exciting. Hiromi is another piano virtuoso of the highest order and she's a delight to watch. The Yellowjackets will please fusion fans and it will be worth checking out that the band now includes Felix Pastorious on bass--son of icon Jaco Pastorious. Their sax player, Bob Mintzer, says he's great and could even go beyond his dad in what he will one day accomplish. Yikes. And you've never seen the harp ... string harp like the angles play, not blues harp ... played like Edmar Castenada plays it. Sounds like three guitarists at the same time. hip vocalist Sachal Vasandani is always a pleasure and the big band duties fall to Arturo O'Farrill's Latin Jazz Orchestra. They can blow the roof off the place.

Toss in the bluesy rock of Brian Mitchell and you've got a fine, fine day.

Then out comes Diana Krall, who needs no hype. And Trombone Shorty who just might have everyone in Saratoga Springs dancing with his high-energy show that is entertainment, funk, fun, New Orleans all mixed. And fine musicianship as well.

People can walk into the festival and enjoy the great lawn party. So it's never to late to say "Let's Go."

Just get there.

Capital District Jazz Musicians Hitting Hard with 2012 Recordings

Trio of disks shines at the halfway mark of the year

The Capital District of New York state -- (Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Saratoga region) has always been rich in jazz talent and has a surprising amount of venues where jazz can be seen and heard. Many of them are small, but there are large venue too where all the heavy hitters come and perform. But weekend to weekend these folks who write, play and teach in this area provide many a memorable night of music.

This year is at about the halfway mark and three recordings jump to the top of the list.

The latest is Confluence (Artist Recording Collective), by alto saxophonist Keith pray, a mainstay of the jazz scene up here. It’s done with a cool band -- Chuck D'Aloia, guitar; Peter Tomlinson, piano; Lou Pappas, bass; and Jeff "Siege" Siegel on drums -- that swings effortlessly through a set largely written by Pray. Tossed in are songs by Jimmy Heath, Trane and a D’Aloia original.

Prays playing is always on the money. He floats and skates around the melodies with the right dash of verve and grit. His light tone is captivating and his ideas solid. A ballad tells a lot about a person’s playing and Song for Katie shows Pray’s ability to convey emotion and melt hearts. As a writer, the tunes are sweet. The arrangement of Heath’s Gingerbread Boy runs of the path a bit, but delightfully so. Trane’s Africa adds da funk to da disk. Engaging. Everyone is up to the task of the varied themes. Seigel is always a tasty, tasty muthafucka on the drums.

A special addition is that of D’Aloia, a scorching guitarist who’s resume includes the late Capital District jazz icon Nick Brignola, as well as Kenny Werner, Randy Brecker, Pat LaBarbara, Claudio Roditi, Jimmy Cobb and a bunch of others. He’s not usually found in clubs with Pray (I believe he has moved away from the area), but adds a great texture to the sounds with his tone and dexterity. Love his solo on Africa. These are fine musicians.

Out for a while now is a hot disk led by drummer Michal Benedict & Bopitude, Five and One (Planet Arts) . It’s a different animal, in that it has three horns out front, including the remarkable Gary Smulyan on baritone sax. Brian Patneaude, a local monster, plays the tenor and Chris Pasin handle the trumpet work. The delectable Bruce Barth plays the shit out of the piano and Mike Lawrence is on bass. It’s the second recording for this lineup, and as their name suggests, it’s heavy on bop.

The band kicks ass and takes names forging thru a variety of warhorse tunes by Sonny Stitt, Thad Jones, J.J. Johnson, Hank Mobley, Kenny Dorham and others. It’s pretty typical head-solos-head stuff you’d have heard in a club in the early 1950s. That’s OK. They knock the shit out of this stuff. The solos are sparkling. Barth is always creative and interesting with chops to spare. Smulyan comes in with the big reputation and doesn’t disappoint, charging through with the big tone and the fleet fingers. Patneaude’s is superb throughout, evoking elements of some of the great tenors along the lineage. On Stitt’s Eternal Triangle, he burns like the author himself would, something Brian keeps a bit hidden in some of his own stuff. don’t go to sleep on him tho.

No faking here. They go for it on these memorable tunes. The leader’s drums are a key, keeping up the rhythmic clouds for the soloists to walk on. Solid work. This band is doing some touring, so check em out. Not usually with Smulyan, but sometimes, including a date in Schenectady, NY, in the fall. This is a great disk for people who like their mainstream jazz served up with the joy and skill it was intended for.

Mentioned in a past blog (scroll down), is Patneaude’s All Around Us. I won’t repeat too much, except that he’s one of the gems of the region’s musicians. Never disappoints, and his disk are consistently outstanding. I raved about his writing in the last blog. His playing always a joy; thoughtful and purposeful as he negotiates his fine constructions. He’s also intense with a tone that is his own; strong and expressive.

The guys on this disk are solid as shit. They know each other, having been partners in crime for some time now. I notice bass player Mike Delprete’s strengths more and more every time I see him. Pianist David Caldwell-Mason is the newest Patneaude addition for me, and adds intrigue. The Brooklynite’s lines aren’t just grabbed from the jazz bag. He has his way and comes up with ideas that are different. Worth hearing more of.

These albums stand up to stuff on any level and they’re getting deserved notoriety. Good for those folks and here’s hoping there’s a lot more from them.