Jim Snidero Continues to Raise His Stature with "For All We Know"

Jin Snidero: For All We Know: Savant SCD 2215

Album by album, the alto saxophonist Jim Snidero has raised his stature as one of the most esteemed alto saxophonists in the world of improvisational music. The Maryland-raised musician's career started when he attended the prestigious Unversity of North Texas College of Music, a school that produced noted alumni like bassist Marc Johnson, keyboard artist Lyle Mays, and multi-reed master Jimmy Giuffre to name just a few. 

The saxophonist became a member of their esteemed One O'Clock Lab Band from 1980-81. Along with his formal education, Snidero found time to take lessons from saxophone masters like Dave Liebman and Phil Woods. Pursuing his career as a professional musician, Snidero, at the age of 23, made his way to NYC in 1981. To hone his skills, he found sideman work in the organ-centered band of noted B3 artist Brother Jack McDuff from 1981-82, and in 1984 recorded with McDuff.  He later joined saxophonist/flutist Frank Wess' group in 1985. As a valued section man, Snidero found work with Toshiko Akiyoshi's Jazz Orchestra (1985, '86,'96, and 2004); Trumpeter Brian Lynch's groups in 1986, 1991, 2019, and 2021); Eddie Palmeri's Band in 1994  Frank Sinatra's touring band in support of Sinatra's album Duets 2 in 1994; and saxophonist Walt Weiskopf's Nonet 1995 and '99 to name just a few. 

Off of the stage, Snidero is an educator as a faculty member at the New School in New York and a visiting professor at Indiana University and Princeton. He has also written a well-respected series of musical instruction books on Bebop, Blues, and Jazz Conceptions. Jim Snidero's alto saxophone sounds like an amalgam of influences that is all his own but has elements of Lee Konitz, Cannonball Adderley, Paul Desmond, and Phil Woods.

Jim Snidero recorded his first album as a leader On Time back in 1984 on the EMI label. He has since released twenty-seven albums as a leader, the last thirteen on Barney Fields' Savant Record label. In February of this year, Snidero released his latest album For All We Know. The album follows three well-received Savant albums that paired Snidero with some jazz elite sidemen. In 2020, Project K  united Snidero with trumpeter Dave Douglas, bassist Linda May Oh, pianist Orrin Evan, and drummer Rudy Royston. Jim Snidero Live at the Deer Head Inn, came out in 2020 and found Jim and progressive pianist Orrin Evans pushing each other to new heights. This time, these two were rhythmically anchored by the team of the superb bassist Peter Washington and stalwart drummer Joe Farnsworth. In his continuing search to spur his own creative boundaries, Snidero's last album Far Far Away, matched the altoist with a different foil.  Retaining the intuitive rhythm section of the last album, he matched musical wits with the enigmatic guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel to great effect.

Released in February of this year, For All We Know breaks the mold. On the never-ending quest to improve one's creative advancement, some things stay the same and some things inevitably change. Snidero's quest led him to accept the next step in his development as a player. He would play without a net. He would wisely reprise his intuitive rhythm section of Washington and Farnsworth, but he would for the first time make an album where his alto was the sole melodic instrument. Where the structure of the melody wasn't safely maintained by the presence of a chordal instrument. The album has a selection of eight exceptionally savvy standards. Familiar melodies that allow his audience to connect. Songs that are rendered in an enticing, soulful,  and communicative way. As an artist, Snidero's alto has a beautifully lush sound. To hear him interact with Washington's empathetic bass and Farnsworth's insightful trap work, one can hear just how congenial and interconnected these guys operate as a single unit.

The title cut "For All We Know" opens the album with a slow saunter led by Washington's buoyant bass, Snidero's mellifluous alto, and Farnsworth's judicious snare. Snidero carries the melody with a depth and flow that navigates the changes with aplomb and sensitivity. As if his solo alto isn't exposed enough like a lone wolf out in the wild, at the six-minute mark, Jim offers a deeply personal and moving solo cadenza to finish this one off with confidence and beauty. 

John Coltrane's classic ballad to his wife, "Naima," is opened by Washington's resonant bass entre. There is little room for recreating this song in such a way that can replace the original, but Jim's alto enters playing the moving melody with reverence, his trademark tonal warmth, and a personal commitment to making it into his own vision. When this trio recreates this one, it shows that great songs in the hands of the right artists can always be reinvigorated and made surprisingly fresh. Bravo!

Cole Porter's "Love for Sale," made famous by Billie Holiday's languishing version, is given an upbeat treatment. Snidero's alto swings, Washington's vibrant bass carries the walk with authority, and Farnsworth is given a chance to demonstrate percussive acuity. Upbeat and on point.

A surprising addition to the repertoire is Alec Wilder's  "Blackberry Winter." This moving ballad is sadly not heard often in jazz sets. The melody allows Snidero  and Washington to do the heavy lifting here.  Washington's burnished bottom solo is the perfect vehicle to expand on this folksy feeling. Snidero provides a sinewy alto solo that navigates the theme with warmth and feeling.

"Parker's Mood" is a slow blues that has Snidero alto taking on a Cannonball-like feel. There is dexterity to this trio, a fluidity, and a soulful vibe that emanates with inventiveness. When they are playing there is a sense of intimacy that they generate. It's like seeing them playing just for you.

Classics like A. Ronell's "Willow Weep for Me," given a quick tempo, and Rogers and Hart's "My Funny Valentine" given an evocatively slow treatment, are each given their place as vehicles of invention. In both cases, the particularly telepathic interaction between Washington and Snidero, and Farnsworth's instinctive subtly, is what makes these such an enjoyable listen.

The superb set ends with another J. Coots tune "You Go To My Way" made famous by vocalists like Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan with Count Basie's Orchestra and Frank Sinatra and even instrumental versions by Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond and Bill Evans. The trio offers this version that has Snidero's alto spelling out the melody line in a jaunty, almost Desmond-like style. The notes just drip out of the bell of his saxophone like succulent drops of ambrosia. Washington and Farnsworth generously offer the perfect support, a fragrant unobtrusive rhythmic bouquet that graces the set. Snidero doesn't waste the opportunity. He  embellishes this memorable melody with style, grace, and aplomb. For All We Know is the kind of album one should just sit back, listen to and enjoy for its pure artistry.

Jim Snidero's latest musical excursion "Far Far Away " with Kurt Rosenwinkel

Jim Snidero Far Far Away Featuring Kurt Rosenwinkel
Savant SCD 2207

The altoist/composer Jim Snidero has recently released his latest album Far Far Away on Savant Records. When Jim sent me an email, to let me know he was getting a copy of this to me, he mentioned that he thought it was perhaps his best work ever. Needless to say, I was anxious to hear this for myself. 

Snidero is a beautifully articulate, expressive, and facile alto player in the line of a lineage that includes Paul Desmond, Cannonball Adderley, Sonny Stitt, and Phil Woods. 

Like his predecessors, Snidero seems to be on a personal quest. This restless man travels roads that may not often be taken by others. He experiments with varying musical concepts and alternates band configurations; he collaborates with a changing array of fellow musicians, always looking to hopefully add to the magic of the creative experience along the way. Through all the permutations, Snidero never forgets his tone, his clarity, his passionate articulation, and his vision.

Jim was raised in Maryland-Washington D.C. and was educated at the University of North Texas. If you wonder how Jim got his wonderful sound, it doesn't hurt to have studied with both the great altoist Phil Woods and multi-reedist master Dave Liebman.

Jim relocated to NY in 1981 where he cut his teeth with jazz organist Jack McDuff and where his talents became discovered. He eventually found work on the Mingus Big Band, The Toshiko Akiyoshi Big Band, Eddie Palmeri, and played on Frank Sinatra's Big Band from 1991-1995. He started his own quartet starting in 1984 and commenced recording as a leader. Like many musicians, Jim has also been an educator,  an adjunct instructor at the New School in NYC, and a visiting professor at both Princeton and Indiana University.

Snidero's recent releases have all featured Jim's sonorous alto. On his Project K, released in 2020, he is playing with a progressive group that includes trumpeter Dave Douglas, pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Linda May Han Oh, and drummer Rudy Royston. The biggest wild card on this album is the addition of Do Yeon Kim on the gayageum, a Korean stringed instrument. Following another artistic path, Snidero, in honor of his wife's Korean background and his own twenty-two-year familial immersion in the culture, seeks to discover the possible possible synergies that might exist between  Korean music and the jazz format. Snidero fosters collaborations like these, where the talent is diverse, creative, and open, and where unpredictable, unfamiliar twists can get your artistic fluids flowing and can inspire new musical possibilities! 

In 2021, Snidero changed his direction and went into writing, arranging, and playing on his ambitious orchestral project Strings. This project brought a whole new quartet with the inclusion of the brilliant Renee Rosnes on piano, Paul Gil on bass,  the dynamic Billy Drummond on drums, and an eleven-piece string section that was led by concertmaster Laura Seaton. The music is grand and sumptious. It has a splendid melodicity and vigor that reminds me of some of Phil Woods' work with Michel LeGrand. Jim also adds some breezy flute work that suspends over his arrangement of the swelling string sections. Hard to imagine this artist has anything left to prove after this creative tour de force.

Then again in 2021, Snidero tackled a "live" recording with his latest straight-ahead, hard bop  quartet of Orrin Evan on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums titled Live at the Deer Head Inn.  This cooking album was named one of Downbeat's Best Releases of 2021 and I also included it in my best-of-year list for that year. The group was just on fire and the added impetus of an enthusiastic audience captured on the recording made the session all the more rewarding. What else canbe expected to come out of the fertile musical box that is Jim Snidero's mind? 

On Far Far Away,  Snidero changes it up again. This time he is joined by the progressive guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel along with his potent Deer Head Inn band members, Orrin Evans, Peter Washington, and Joe Farnsworth. It's hard to imagine this group, which showed an admirable telepathic connection in the previous "live" album as a quartet, could embrace the added inventiveness of  Rosenwinkel's ethereal approach to the music, but it was almost like he was always an integral part of the group.  These pros simply meshed like the gears in a fine Swiss timepiece.

Rosenwinkel adds a new sense of adventure to this music with his airy creative approach. His mastery of enhanced electronic tone and his fretboard fluidity on the guitar is the perfect foil to Snidero's precise, articulate, and earnest alto. With a rhythm section like Evans, Washington, and Farnsworth these two find the table set for their dual and solo explorations. 

On Snidero's opening composition, "Far Far Away,"  Rosenwinkel comes out of the gate with a searing synth-like opening that just revs the music into high gear. Farnsworth's roiling drum work just accelerates in sync with the guitarist bringing the music to a combustible temperature. Snidero's alto pierces into the fray on the next solo with authority and command. Evan's piano work is on target with equal enthusiasm and Washington's bass is like a stabilizing heart beat anchor to the proceedings.

"Infinity" is another Snidero composition that has the altoist opening up with a more lamenting attack. Rosenwinkel's guitar replies with his own tailored guitar lines that contrast brilliantly to the mood previously created by Snidero. The contrast between these two voices is distinct and yet complimentary. They are able to navigate the same wave they attack using different musical surfboards, plying different riding techniques, and still wind up riding through the crest brilliantly.

To hear these two attack a reharmonizing of the Rodgers and Hammerstein composition "It Might Be Spring" is another gem. This is the most traditional take on the album, with Rosenwinkel presenting his intro using the least modified guitar tone on the set and Jim's burnished, luxurious sound is just captivating. The two find common ground here and Rosenwinkel's chops are fast, loose, and a joy to behold.

There are five other songs on this exceptional album including the challenging "Nowhere to Hide," and the latent funk of  "Obsession," The blues-spirited "Pat" -a dedication to recently departed guitar wizard Pat Martino-  gives Evans some nice stretch-out time to work his blues-tinged magic on the ivories. Other highlights are a fleet-fingered solo by Rosenwinkel, and a potent bass solo by Washington. The swinging "Little Falls" ends the remaining  Snidero compositions. 

McCoy Tyner's potent "Search for Peace" is a beautiful vehicle for Snidero to ply his warm sound to great effect. Washington's pliant bass lines are beautifully on display here and Kurt's electronically altered guitar lines accentuate the mood sparkingly.

Far Far Away may just be, as Jim wrote to me, his best work to date!  Let's just hope this group makes a follow-up to this thoroughly impressive collaborative recording.

Renee Rosnes "Beloved of the Sky"

Renee Rosnes Beloved of the Sky Smoke SSR-1801

The stark cover art on pianist Renee (pronounced Ree Nee) Rosnes latest album Beloved of the Sky features a tall, spindly, yet singularly defiant pine standing in a field of stumps; remnants of its clear-cut brethren. The painting is titled Scorned as Timber, Beloved of the Sky and was painted by Northwest Canadian artist named Emily Carr back in 1935 when the artist was sixty-five years old; some say at the peak of her creative powers.

The painting was the source of inspiration for another Pacific Northwest born and raised Canadian, the pianist Renee Rosnes, who at fifty-six is showing signs of entering her own peak of creative powers as an impressive instrumentalist, a formidable composer and a leader in her own right. She is joined by a powerhouse group of like-minded innovators including scarily talented multi-reed artist Chris Potter, the sublime vibraphonist Steve Nelson, stalwart bassist Peter Washington and driving drummer Lenny White.

I first heard Rosnes on a great JJ Johnson album titled Heroes from 1998 where her playing just blew me away. I’ve been a fan ever since. In a year where we  are finally celebrating the talented women in jazz, Rosnes is a clear leading lady in this genre.

Renee Rosnes (Photo credit unknown)

If you have any doubt about the creative forces bubbling out of this woman just listen to the driving opener titled “Elephant Dust,” a reference to an allergic reaction to petting a circus elephant.  The music is a supercharged composition that is utterly original, pinning you to your seat from the very start. Many songs have a powerful drive, but few challenge conventions so effectively with the marvelous use of fractured, staccato changes that Rosnes employs and which the group navigates with graceful aplomb. The irrepressible Potter’s frenetic lead tenor intertwining brilliantly with Rosnes piano and Nelson’s buoyant vibes as Washington and White lay down a roiling rumble. Rosnes can play with the best of them, her splendid solo just a sample of this woman’s chops. This song is a joy and one can just imagine how much fun the musicians had laying this breathless track down.

“Scorned as Timber, Beloved of the Sky” is the most representative composition of Rosnes thoughtful rumination on the subject matter of Carr’s cover painting. Potter’s lilting soprano rises above Rosnes' resonating piano lines like the lone pine that stands in lonely defiance of its blighted surroundings. There is a somber grace here that has elements of classical music somehow woven with nativist underpinnings. Washington’s bass often providing a booming backdrop in concert with Rosnes piano.  When the pianist offers a brief solo it is a gorgeous interlude that bespeaks of the great natural beauty that is being so recklessly dismissed in the name of progress. Potters soprano solo soars on gossamer wings and Nelson’s tubular sound is reverential. An aural feast.

The album is filled with interesting music, often thematically connected by a sense of flow. “Mirror Image” was originally commissioned for the SF Jazz Collective of which Rosnes is a charter member. The song was composed as a feature for legendary vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson and here features Steve Nelson and Chris Potter. Rosnes graceful composition is a series of shimmering reflections that ascend and descend with a fluidity that create the underpinning for the soloists to expand upon. Potter is particularly expansive on his tenor.

While recording this album, Rosnes must have been channeling the late Bobby Hutcherson, who she played with for more than twenty years. She takes a particularly reflective solo on the vibraphonist's delightful composition “Rosie.” Potter never seems to be short on ideas and once again his biting tenor steals the show, while Nelson’s reserved ringing tubes offer a warm counterpoint.

On Rosnes jet-fueled “Black Holes” we are treated to the rhythmic stylings of this powerful pianist. Drummer White is particularly potent here, but it is the dazzling interplay between Rosnes and Potter that is the highlight. Washington lays down some powerful bottom and White is propulsive while Rosnes ostinato prods an energetic exchange with Potter’s hair-raising tenor, bringing the music to new heights and a powerful coda.

The contemplative Rosnes composition “The Flame and the Lotus”  features the melody line played in unison by Potter’s tenor and Nelson’s vibes, as White plays his toms in a cadenced march. After a brief Nelson solo, Rosnes takes a solo that gives us a taste of her bluesy side. Potter gives another rousing solo before the group returns back to the original melody line.

“Rhythm of the River” is another Rosnes composition that has a distinctive samba pulse. The group sounding to me like early Return to Forever and Potter’s flute sounding eerily like the great Joe Farrell’s at times. 

Alec Wilder’s “The Winter of My Discontent” is a ballad that Rosnes plays with great sensitivity. The pianist first heard this brooding melody as a teenager sung by the vocalist Helen Merrill and accompanied by the pianist Dick Katz.  Potter takes a gorgeously plaintive solo and Peter Washington’s bass gets to the core of the emotional poignancy of this song with a masterful pizzicato solo.

The closer is a pure swinger, "Let the Rumpus Start," whose pulse is given its swagger by this fabulous rhythm section of Washington and White. Rosnes is remarkably adept at fitting in some bubbling lines on her piano while the crew percolate behind her. Potter is no stranger to letting loose in front of a swinging section and Washington’s facile bass is given a chance to strut his stuff. The song ends with White taking turns at different rhythmic variations.

Renee Rosnes’ Belovedof the Sky, which will be released on Smoke Records on April 6th,  is simply a superlative session that stimulates the senses on so many levels and provokes serious and rewarding listening for those willing to take the time.

Vibrapohonist Steve Nelson's Homage to Mulgrew Miller: "Brothers Under the Sun"

The vibraphonist Steve Nelson is one of those musicians who has been discreetly plying his craft over the years, most frequently with groups led by the pianist Mulgrew Miller and the bassist Dave Holland. On his latest album Brothers Under the Sun, a title that makes reference to the friendship and astrological affinity Nelson had with the pianist Mulgrew Miller (they were both born under the sign of Leo), Nelson selects a repertoire of songs that are either composed by late pianist or are strongly associated with him. The result is a rewarding collection of music that honor Miller's legacy by perfroming these songs with a joyful reverance, consummate professionalism and an unerring sense of swing.

The rhythm section of Peter Washington and Lewis Nash assure a skilled continuity of spirit for this endeavor, as they, with Nelson played on several recordings with Mr. Miller. The wild card here is the pianist Danny Grissett- who has played previously with this group under the leadership of trumpeter Jeremy Pelt- who does an admirable job of injecting his own creativity into this homage, including his own composition dedicated to Mr. Miller, the closer “Melody for Mulgrew.”

The album leads off with a sauntering “The More I See You” which Nelson plays faithfully in deference to the melody, an approach favored by Mr. Miller when he would play ballads. Nelson’s tone has a warm resonance that comes from the measured and deliberate attack of his mallets. Grissett incorporates some of Miller’s bluesy/gospel feel, while still fluidly traversing across the keys in a modern approach. The group pulses along with Washington’s warm, throbbing bass lines leading the way. Nash, a master swinger, knows how to subtly prod the group, propulsing them forward with just the right mixture of press rolls and cymbal splashes.

The Afro-Latin beat of Miller’s vibrant “Eastern Joy Dance,” allows the group a more fluid platform on which to improvise. Nelson’s mallets glide over the bars in a glissando of notes. Grissett is more angular in his approach here, as Washington and Lewis create the rhythmic rumble.

“Grew’s Tune” is one of Mr. Miller’s most memorable compositions and these guys do it royally. The lock-step, unison playing of Grissett and Nelson is coolly intuitive. Grissett’s solo is a miniature of style, before Washington offers his own impressively effervescent solo.

“Soul-Leo,” -a reference to the astrological sign that binds Miller and Nelson together forever- has its own special swagger. Washington’s bass guiding the tune like a beacon in the night. Nelson and Grissett once again play deftly in unison; both offer invigorated solos as Nash pushes the song along effectively behind Grissett’s repeating left-hand phrases to the coda.

The Rogers and Hart standard “It Never Entered My Mind,” is introduced by Nelson with a gently resonating vibes solo, after which the group picks up at a languished pace. The album continues with the Brazilian influenced Miller composition “Samba D’ Blue,” the bright, uplifting Nelson title composition “Brothers Under the Sun,” and  another  two Miller compositions “For Those Who Do” and the angular, Monkish “New Wheels,” where the group is at its dynamic best. The set ends with pianist Grissett’s persuasive homage, the buoyant and deferential “Melody for Mulgrew.”

Here is a video of Nelson with Miller from 2011:

Trombone Heaven on Steve Turre's The Bones of Art:

Steve Turre The Bones of Art High Note HCD 7251

For over thirty years Art Blakey was as influential a band leader as there was in jazz. From 1947 until his death in 1991, his group the Jazz Messengers was a university of jazz  for young and talented musicians. Many of these young lions would later become some of the period’s most influential players of the genre.  Steve Turre was one of the few musicians who played trombone with Blakey and can be heard on Blakey’s 1973 album Anthenaga  along with then members Cedar Walton and Woody Shaw.  His experience with Blakey left a lasting impression on the young trombonist and his latest album, The Bones of Art, is as much a dedication to the late band leader as it is a celebration of the diversity of expression available on his instrument, the trombone.  Steve used the Blakey connection to realize his dream of fronting a band with three trombone voices leading the way. He assembled fellow Blakey trombone alumni Steve Davis, Frank Lacy and Robin Eubanks to contribute their individual signature sounds along with pianist Xavier Davis, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Willie Jones III .

The Bones of Art may well be the best trombone featured  album since the seminal collaborations made by Kai Winding and JJ Johnson on albums like their 1960 The Great Kai and JJ. The album starts off with a dedication to trombone legend Slide Hampton, “Slide’s Ride” is a driving, hard bop smoker that features the three synchronous trombones of Davis, Lacy and Turre demonstrating the true meaning of simpatico. Pianist Xavier Davis sounds like a young McCoy Tyner before the solos start. Listening to the three voices with their nuanced interpretations is most interesting. Turre leads off with a boisterous medium register solo that has a growly gusto, Davis’ solo is more billowy, blissfully floating with a light airiness. Lacy’s sound is the most raucous of the three with his slurring streams clustered with a quick-cadenced ease. The rhythm section provides the torrid pace with Peter Washington and Willie Jones III keeping the exquisite time. Slide would be proud.

Steve Turre’s ballad “Blue and Brown” is homage to Lawrence Brown who was Duke Ellington’s first trombonist. A sweet Basie-like piano solo by Davis and a wonderfully buoyant bass solo by Washington are two features of this slow waltz. The three trombone voices meld together like three pats of butter in a hot pan in a display of magical harmony that leads to a nostalgic sounding pixie-plunger solo by Turre;  a subtle piece to be savored like the sip of a fine brandy.

Trombonist Frank Lacy’s “Settegast Strut” is a piece of music that lends itself perfectly to the powerful

sound of the three ‘bones in synchronous harmony. Lacy’s big, gutsy growl is on majestic display for three choruses, as he demonstrates his amazing control of this expressive instrument. He slides through a range of ascending notes that sends shivers down your spine and then bellows out some low notes that seem almost bottomless. Turre adds a couple choruses of his own that squeeze out some of his own ideas on the music. All the while Willie Jones III punctuates with his crashing cymbals at just the right times and Davis’s flowing piano crescendos smooth out the lines in between and at the coda.

Part of the fun of this album is listening to all the devices and styles these guys can produce from their bag of tricks. “Bird’s Bones” is Steve Davis’ composition dedicated to Charlie Parker.  This bop inspired song starts out with Davis on open horn, Lacy on a cup mute with its distinctively “tinny” sound and Turre on metal straight mute. Davis solos first with an open horn,Turre is up next with a distinctive handmade wooden mute that has a bit of a muffled sound. After a brief piano solo by Davis, Lacy plays with a squeaky sounding Harmon mute followed by a short bass solo by Washington and then a few choruses of Willie Jones soloing between breaks as the song ends.

Peter Washington’s galloping bass opens the scene on Turre’s  “Sunset” as the three trombones- one open, one with a plunger and one with a mute- play the opening line in a lazy, almost dreamy way.  But the song has a sauntering swing that inspires the playful spirit of these players. Lacy takes the first solo with an open horn that seems to awaken to the rhythm in an uplifting way. Turre uses his plunger to create a more playful swing with his screeches and slurs paving the way for a piano solo by Davis. Davis tickles the ivories with a spirited playful touch. Steve Davis plays a warm, bellowing solo with an open horn, letting some of his notes linger in the air like ripe figs on a tree, delicious. The trio use bucket mutes for the finale as they close languidly to the ostinato bass line.

On Turre’s “4 & 9”, a reference to the alternating time signatures 4/4 and 9/4 used in this song, we are treated to another trombone master and Blakey alumnus, Robin Eubanks. Eubanks is a master of odd meters and Turre’s tune is tailor made for this man’s specialty. Pianist Xavier Davis puts some funk into the tune using the Fender Rhodes and guest bassist Kenny Davis adds his own brand electric bad ass.

Turre navigates through the meter changes with accomplished aplomb on his open horn, then Eubanks takes it to another level. He bursts unto the scene with a solo that is both spirited and soulful  as he traverses the changes with a smoothness that belies their complexity.

“Fuller Beauty” is a modal ballad that is dedicated to trombonist Curtis Fuller who played with Turre in the Blakey band. This one is gorgeously expressive. Turre plays a heartfelt open solo that finds him at his most sensitive. The pianist Davis also finds a warm, sensitive side to his playing here, with Steve Davis and Frank Lacy playing harmonically rich supporting parts. Jones and Washington anchor this ballad with subtle surety.

Kevin Eubanks “Shorter Blu” is a dually dedicated to the saxophonist Wayne Shorter, another Blakey alumnus, and to Blakey  himself, whose Muslim nickname was Blu.  Here all four trombones act in concert on this unusual piece of music. After a rising piano solo by Davis, Eubanks opens with a, shifting, zigzag-like solo. Turre takes a turn with a Harmon muted solo and then Lacy takes his own gruff solo before the ensemble all enter in a free-spirited jam that colors the song to the coda.

The gutsiest song on the album is Turre’s “Julian’s Blues”. This low-down dirty blues is dedicated to trombonist Julian Priester, whose approach to harmony in such bands as Sun Ra’s Arkestra impressed Turre. The ensemble plays this blues with solidarity of soul. Solos start with Lacy laying down his raspiest solo, setting the tone for the down and dirty mood. Steve Davis plays a gentler, rounder solo that contrasts nicely with how Lacy left him. Pianist Davis plays with economy and still manages to make his point felt.  Turre comes in with a stone lined cup on his horn, creating a distant sound, that he trades off with bassist Peter Washington before the ensemble ends with Lacy having the last grimy word.

The finale is a Latin flavored Steve Davis song titled “Daylight” and like daylight it is a fitting uplifting ending to this wonderfully expressive album.  On this one the three bones and superb rhythm  section are joined by percussionist Pedro Martinez who adds to the sway with his congas and some conch shell playing by Turre.

For those who love trombone, a great vibe and good music Steve Turre’s  The Bones of Art  offers a feast of sounds and expressiveness that is second to none.

The Synchroncity of Benny Green's New Trio on his latest "Source"

 

Benny Green

Benny Green's “Source”  

Jazz Legacy Productions JLP 1001014

Recorded at Alley cat Productions, South Orange, NJ

November- December 2010

The jazz piano trio has traditionally been a wellspring for the creation of some expressive music over the years. Getting the perfect combination of band mates that can produce that illusive, magical something that can transcend time is sometimes like a chimera. 

Peter Washington

If one subscribes to the theory of synchronicity, than it was certainly a synchronous event when in 2009 Japanese guitarist Satoshi Inoue brought together pianist Benny Green with the superb rhythm section of 

Peter Washington and Kenny Washington for his Japanese tour. Despite having the same name these two unrelated musicians have a simpatico that transcends blood.

Kenny Washington

“Source”, is inspired by a litany of Green’s jazz heroes. They include Sonny Clark, Carl Perkins, Dizzy Gillepsie, Donald Byrd, Kenny Drew, Bud Powell, Benny Golson, Duke Pearson, Mel Torme and Horace Silver.  Despite the diversity of the source of the music, Green and company play it all with reverence, joy, virtuosity and heart. The result is one of the most enjoyable albums I have heard this year and a watershed for Green as a leader .

From the opening notes of Sonny Clark’s “Blue Minor" you know your in for a treat. Green has the “goods” and he swings with the best of them, with a looseness of style that reminds me a little of the great Hampton Hawes. Prodded by Peter Washington’s elastically buoyant bass lines, Benny demonstrates some rapid tandem, two-handed runs that gush with imagination. This one is a delight.

Sonny Clark

On West Coast pianist Carl Perkins 
“ Way ‘Cross Town” , Green negotiates the start/stop lines of this little gem and intertwines the breaks with some cascading solo lines as the team Washington keep impeccable time. Drummer Kenny offers some tasteful brushwork in a nice interlude of subtle restraint.

Mr. Green is at his most elegant on the poignant

“I Waited for You”. The trio saunters on the beat as Green dances along the keyboard in a sophisticated display of sensitive lyricism. Peter Washington’s bass solo is deeply articulate and expressive.

 

Donald Byrd

Trumpeter Donald Byrd’s “Little T” is a catchy vehicle to swing on and swing this trio does so well. Green is an effervescent pianist who digs deep into the marrow of a song to find different approaches to make it sing. The obvious love that that these guys have for this music is genuine. Witness the precise interaction and timely breaks, all part of a special intuition. 

Kenny Drew

“Cool Green”, a Kenny Drew composition, is a cool shuffle that allows Mr. Green to stretch out with some clipped, syncopated solo lines, followed by a series of beautifully executed rapid runs up and down the keyboard. Peter Washington offers his ever present, deceptively floating bass lines that hold it all together. When the bassists solos he swings with unerring time and expressiveness.

For those who love speed and virtuosity, Bud Powell’s “Tempus Fugit” is the piece de resistance. Green is a formidbile technician who flawlessly executes this most difficult composition with his own brand of  blinding two handed speed and a certain sense of humor. One can almost hear the trio take a collective sigh of relief at the successful conclusion of this barnburner.

Bud Powell

Benny’s father purportedly suggested he include the Benny Golson tune

“Park Avenue Petite” and kudos to the elder Mr. Green for this influence. Green is at one with the sentiment of this composition as his soulful, blues tinged solos attest beautifully. The rhythm section is in a tight groove allowing Mr. Green plenty of room for expression with subtle support.

On Duke Pearson’s  “Chant” we get a taste of the myriad of ideas that pop into Mr. Green’s head as he commits to his solo wanderings. While generally melodic he sometimes uses dashes of atonality to make a point. 

Duke Pearson

On Mel Torme’s “ Born to Be Blue” ,we get the feel that Mr. Green has spent many a night backing some real torch singers in his career. His phrasing is earnest and appropriately vocal-like as he states the melody. It’s during his solo that he explores the nuances of the song as he sees it.

On Horace Silver’s classic “Opus de Funk” is the finale and we hear the Trio get back to the business of swinging. Green’s excitable playing is full of energy and kineticism. Peter Washington’s bass pushes the song along ultimately taking his own facile solo. Mr. Green leads us all over the map with his abundance of ideas. He has an energetic interchange with the drummer Kenny Washington trading ideas on a series of breaks before making their way to the coda.

Horace Silver

For any lover of piano trio jazz or just plain swinging music, Benny Green’s “Source” makes a splendid addition to any serious collection of the genre.

Musicians: The Benny Green Trio:  Benny Green

(piano); Peter Washington ( bass); Kenny Washington (drums)


 Here's Benny with the great Ray Brown and Gregory Hutchinson on drums playing Blue Mood