Tenor saxophone, piano, and drums. Not in itself radical or “innovative,” but rather, melodic, swinging, witty, and surprising.
The human tic-tac-toe of the cover should suggest that this is a CD lit by playfulness.
To give you a sense of what these masterful players are up to, here is an [intentionally] unidentified song and solo. Don’t shout it out if you know. I will edit the answer out of any comment-replies.
And here’s the briefest of tasting menus:
Jazz fans and “critics” often see the last hundred years of this music as a series of tiny boxes tied together with string, one after the other. Here’s Louis; there’s Dizzy; here’s Fats; there’s Bud Powell.
But these three loving creators seem to perceive the last century in music as a long sweet car ride with great friends and memorable scenery, with no one monument privileged over the other, which is lovely. And they have used their free-thinking to re-imagine the jazz repertoire in brightly surprising ways. A series of questions came to my mind, and here are the ones that bubbled most energetically to the top:
What if Herschel Evans had lived long enough to record for Norman Granz’s microgroove issues?
What if Buddy Tate, James P. Johnson, and Zutty Singleton had had a session that Jerry Newman recorded?
What if Django Reinhardt’s repertoire had not been so eagerly taken over by guitarists?
What if Lester Young had decided to pay homage to Louis in the recording studio? (Sadik Hakim told Phil Schaap that Lester’s record collection began and ended with “A” for Armstrong.)
What if Sidney Catlett had recorded with the 1940 Ellington band?
and so on . . .
The songs chosen, each with powerful associations, are vigorously shaken, not stirred, to offer us new ways of looking at a Black Swan. They are GEORGIANNA; BLACK AND BLUE; MOONLIGHT ON THE GANGES; POTATO HEAD BLUES; I GUESS I’LL HAVE TO CHANGE MY PLAN; I WANT TO BE HAPPY; NUAGES; THE MULE WALK; LESTER’S BE-BOP; FINE’S IDEA; WILD MAN BLUES; JUMPIN’ PUNKINS; TINY’S EXERCISE; MEAN TO ME.
Forty-nine minutes and ten seconds of divine play, beautifully recorded, thanks to Camille Productions. And the joy comes through. Since you have ears, I don’t have to tell you how fine these three people are on their instruments, nor do I have to rhapsodize about their friendly ensemble teamwork. And I didn’t miss a double bass or guitar.
I think this is a spectacular offering, and I will tell you this bit of personal data. Today is October 16. I picked up the mail at around 4 PM, unwrapped this CD, and played it almost three times before it was time for dinner. It’s now a few minutes before 9 PM, and I’ve written this post with happy enthusiasm. Sometimes I take six months to write about a CD: this one got me in five hours. That’s serious business.
You’ll love it. I do.
May your happiness increase!
JAZZ LIVES 