By Dee Dee McNeil
Put these California artists in your stocking and bring merry music home for the holidays.
JUDY WHITMORE – “CHRISTMAS” – Arden House Music
Judy Whitmore, vocals; Josh Nelson, piano; Andrew Synowiec, guitar; Edwin Livingston, bass; Ray Brinker, drums; Chris Walden, keyboards/synthesizers; Wade Culbreath, vibraphone; Laura Brenes, horn; Gayle Levant, harp. WOODWINDS: Jeff Driskill, Jacob Scesney, Kirsten Edkins, Glen Berger, & Ken Fisher; TRUMPETS: Wayne Bergeron, Kye Palmer, Michael Stever, & Ray Monteriero. Trombones: Andy Martin, Alex Iles, Erik Hughes & Craig Gosnell. VIOLINS: Charlie Bisharat, Tamara Hatwan, Songa Lee, Grace Oh, Josefins Vergara, Jenny Takamatsu, Bethany Mennemeyer, Mark Cragill, Natalie Leggett, Luanne Homzy, Wynton Grant, Camille Miller, Aiko Richter. VIOLAS: Erik Rynearson, Luke Maurer, Andrew Mcintosh, Leah Katz, & Linnea Powell. CELLOS: Vanessa Freebairn-Smith, Dennis Karmazyn, Allan Hon, Leah Hansen, David Mergen. CHOIR: Vangie Gunn, Baraka May, Ann Sheridan, Sara Mann, Fletcher Sheridan, Jarrett Johonson, Trist Ethan Curless, David Loucks, Reid Bruton; VOCAL CONTRACTOR & CHOIR DIRECTOR: Fletcher Sheridan/Concord Vocal Services. Billy Grubman, duet partner on “We Are Lights.”
For the holiday season, vocalist Judy Whitmore has chosen a dozen holiday and/or winter songs to warm our hearts. She has paired talents with Chris Walden, who wrote all the arrangements for the album “Christmas,” and who is the founder and artistic director of the Pacific Jazz Orchestra. Whitmore is surrounded with the crème de la crème of California jazz and professional musicians. Her rhythm section reads like the Who’s Who of Southern California jazz cats including Josh Nelson, Edwin Livingston, Ray Brinker and Andrew Synowiec making up her power-house rhythm section, with Wade Culbreath adding his vibraphone magic to the mix.
It’s nice to hear this big band orchestrated approach, that is somewhat nostalgic of yesteryears when music was drifting out of radios across the nation.
Whitmore has a crystal-clear tone, opening with “Kay Thompson’s Jingle Bells” and a choir of warm voices that buoy her vocals like a bounce pillow.
She follows this with the more contemporary “Christmas Time is Here,” a tune, originally composed by Vince Guaraldi for the 1965 television special, ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas.’ Josh Nelson’s sensitive, jazz piano solo lifts the arrangement. The strings create a softly burning warmth in the background, like the last glowing remnants of coals in the fire pit.
Irving Berlin is the composer of a song simply titled, “Snow” with a cute lyric and written for the film ‘Call Me Madam.’ Judy Whitmore’s voice dances across the lyrics with joy. Her vocals exhibit a lightness that is childlike and innocent. I think (as well as being a jazz and cabaret vocalist) Judy would make a great voice for children’s records.
I love the repertoire choices that Whitmore shares with us. For example, one song pulled from the 1954 movie “White Christmas” is “Merry Christmas, Darling,” that features a stunningly beautiful harmonic choir of voices. The harp addition on “Happy holiday” and the bells put me in a jovial, holiday mood.
The David Foster composition, “Grown-up Christmas List” lyrically begs:
“… no more war, … everyone would have a friend, and right would always win, and love would never end,” sung originally by Christian vocal star, Amy Grant.
Whitmore can swing and she shows this off during the band’s arrangement of “The Man with the Bag” that features a short but spunky saxophone solo by Jacob Scesney. What cute lyrics! When Judy Whitmore sings, you hear every single word perfectly enunciated so you can enjoy the whole lyrical story.
Whitmore was born in New York City, but raised in Studio City, California. Often referred to as a Renaissance woman, Judy is not only a recording artist, a jazz and cabaret performer, but you may be surprised to learn she is a bestselling novelist, a theater producer and a Marriage and Family therapist with a master’s degree in clinical psychology.
In her spare time, she’s a licensed jet pilot and has also worked as part of the Search-and-Rescue missions for Pitkin County (Aspen, Colorado) Air Rescue. She has licenses to fly seaplanes and hot-air balloons.
Her parents must have had a feeling that their little girl was going to grow up and fall in love with music, because they named her after Judy Garland. Garland, the singer and movie star, was actually a friend of Judy Whitmore’s grandfather. He was a violinist for the MGM Studio Orchestra. So, music and music history runs deeply in Judy Whitmore’s veins.
This is an album full of Christmas gems, delivered by a vocalist who loves storytelling and makes sure we pay attention to every word sung, as her stories roll off this delightful “Christmas” album.
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CARL SCHULTZ – “THE ROAD TO TRANTOR” – Origin Records
Carl Schultz, tenor saxophone/flute; Tim Wendel, guitar; Adam Benjamin, piano/Fender Rhodes; Zack Teran, bass; Alwyn Robinson, drums.
Inside the head of woodwind player, Carl Schultz, is the soundtrack to a science fiction movie.
“When I began composing the music for this album, I noticed that the pieces sounded cinematic. They seemed to fit certain roles like music for the closing credits of a film or a love theme,” Schultz shared in his press package.
With that in mind, he began to create film scenes in his head. Next, he composed songs that fit those narratives. The movie he visualized was a science fiction thriller.
“Journey” is the opening piece that introduces us to his invisible film. It’s sleepy, sexy, and bluesy at first. The Schultz saxophone seductively sings the melody. This composition also encompasses other themes from this movie in his mind. Journey contains multiple, distinct sections. They serve as musical introductions of scenes to come, like a medley.
Schultz is a Pennsylvania native, influenced by modern saxophonists like Ben Schachter and composer Norman David. It was their unique approach to improvisational music that Carl Schultz was drawn to, and he blended this with the sounds of the Philadelphia jazz scene.
The young, aspiring musician moved to New York to pursue a Bachelors of Music degree from the Conservatory of Music at SUNY Purchase College. Schultz also gained a Masters of Music degree at the University of the Arts. That’s when he was leading his own quartet and playing with as many large ensembles as he could. You can hear his original music merge with the jazz tradition on this album.
For a while, Schultz toured as a member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra. He’s featured on their “Live in Tokyo” recording. Always in search of higher education and more knowledge about music, the reed man earned his Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Colorado. That’s where he met his Art Lande and Brad Goode, both who Schultz would later record with.
The spotlight turns to Alwyn Robinson during a power-packed drum solo on the Schultz tune “Caves of Steel” that is full of suspense and intrigue. The guitar of Tim Wendel calms the moment and brings light to a dark arrangement. I find myself intrigued by his tune titled “Ecumenopolis” with a saxophone delivery that is more contemporary. The melody is one that the guitar can snag onto, improvising broadly. Another of his original compositions I was drawn to is “Crystalline Desolation.” It is quite ethereal, with the electronic soundscapes coloring the arrangement. The touch of Adam Benjamin’s fingers on the Fender Rhodes thickens the chords, making all those overtones ring and tease the ear. The Schultz tenor saxophone settles the tune down, unraveling a melody that is pleasing to the senses. Then comes an electronic addition to the sax melody line
Currently residing in Santa Clara, California, Carl Schultz serves as Director of Jazz Studies at Santa Clara University. Here is an album of music that tickles the imagination and gives the listener an intimate look into the mind and music of Carl Schultz.
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JIMBO ROSS – “SO DO IT” – Bodacious Records
Jimbo Ross, five string electric viola/violin; Joe Gaeta, guitar; Stuart Elster, piano; Peter Marshall, upright bass; Ron Wagner, drums/percussion.
Jimbo Ross was a top session player and soloist for years. He’s been featured in concerts and festivals worldwide and performed with many well-known music artists including Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Horace Silver, Teddy Edwards, Michael Brecker, Herbie Hancock and many more. These are just the jazz artists he’s collaborated with, but this versatile and virtuoso violinist has added his brilliance to other genres of music too. Ross has worked with Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, The Moody Blues, Roy Orbison, Ray Charles, James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Elton John. He is also proficient as a zydeco player and a blues master as well. In the past, Jimbo Ross released four albums with his own aggregation called, The Bodacious Band.
Last year, in 2024, he finally recorded his first jazz album “Jazz Passion and Latin Satin.” He shines brilliantly amidst a universe full of bright stars, but Jimbo’s shine is unique. There are very few jazz viola/violin players floating around. The extra string on his instrument gives a larger range. Jimbo Ross uses his specially made instrument to explore his improvisations and creativity.
“We recorded all these tunes ‘live’ in the studio to capture that spontaneous combustion that you can only achieve by feeding off of each other. … With my 5-strings, I can go down to those lower viola notes, play the lovely mid-range that resonates so beautifully on the viola, and soar high in the violin register all in one phrase. I really love the range of the viola, because it’s more in the gutsy human voice range that is appealing to the ear,” Ross explained.
“Speak Low” is the popular song Ross opens this album with, using a moderate tempo jazz groove and featuring his sweet string instrument. Ron Wagner on drums and Peter Marshall on walking bass march this piece into my listening room with energy and determination. The Ross viola/violin dances upfront, improvising freely. Joe Gaeta takes an impressive guitar solo. Then, the very gifted Stuart Elster adds his inspired piano solo. This opening tune sets the tone for what is to come.
Jimbo Ross has surrounded himself with some of the finest musicians in the Los Angeles area. Each is a respected band leader in their own right. Track #2 is a Wes Montgomery composition, “Twisted Blues.” It’s actually more Straight-ahead than the blues. The title represents the way chord changes move, twist and turn to create a song structure. Another original composition by Montgomery, the guitar legend, is Ross’s title tune, “So Do It.” The viola/violin master has chosen a Baker’s Dozen of songs by respected jazz musicians and composers. Among them are Lee Morgan, Bill Evans, Sonny Rollins, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis and Sam Jones.
The waltz arrangement on “The Gigolo” steps away from the groups Straight Ahead jazz energy in a mellow way. A favorite tune of mine is “Canadian Sunset.” Jimbo Ross puts his own mark on this tune, painting it with Latin flavor at first, then swinging it on the ‘hook,’ the same way I heard Gene Ammons do when he played this song back in the 50s. I also enjoyed their interpretation of “Willow Weep for Me.”
You will be thoroughly entertained by this unique and beautifully played album of music featuring Jimbo Ross and his awesome 5-string viola/violin. Also, respectful applause to some of Southern California’s best musicians. Jimbo Ross’s virtuosity is on full display.
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PAUL LITTERAL – “THE LITTERAL TRUTH” – Outrageous 8 Records
“Black Cow” is another Fagen tune with vocals by Anna Orbison. Fused with funk, the arrangement is all Rock/Pop with emphasis on the strong and punchy horn section and harmonic background singers. “Do It Again” is another Fagen composition and this time the band is featured without vocals.
The band cover’s the Bill Withers popular “Use Me” song and adds a taste of country/western music with Angela O’Neill singing “Dying to Live,” accompanied by Rocky Davis on piano.
This album is a diary of sorts, featuring songs that inspired Paul Litteral’s personal music development, from his days of playing in the orchestra Pitts of Broadway musicals to the stages of Rock and Roll hall-of-famers. His love of the horn section is always out front and shining.
PAUL LITTERAL BAND: Paul Litteral, trumpet; Ken Rosser, guitar; Bill Bodine, bass; Rocky Davis, piano/arranger; Shaunte Palmer & Craig Kupka, trombone; Sam Morgan, tenor & baritone saxophone; Kyle Zimmerman & Colin Kupka, altos & Tenor saxophone/flute. LEAD VOCALS: Rocky Davis, Anna Orbison, James Orbison. BACKGROUND VOCALS: Rocky Davis, vocal arranger; Angela O’Neill, Anna Orbison, Deborah Davis,
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SACHA (SASHA) BOUTROS – “PARIS AFTER DARK” – Hear Me Roar Records
Sacha Boutros, vocals; Franck Amsallem, piano; Hugo Lippi, guitar; Thomas Bramerie, bass; Tony Rabeson, drums; Stephane Belmondo, trumpet.
Sacha Boutros is a jazz vocal veteran of twenty-five years who once lived in Southern California. She is now living and recording in France. “Paris After Dark” is an album celebrating 100 years of French and American composers.
This is the second in Boutros’s “After Dark” series. It follows “New York After Dark” that was created with an outstanding staff of jazz men including Lewis Nash, Terell Stafford, Peter Washington and John de Martino.
As an American artist who lives in Paris, Boutros sings in fourteen languages. Impressive! Ms. Boutros is also a composer, arranger and producer. Most of this album is sung in French, or a combination of languages. “Ne Me Quitte Pas” features Stephane Belmondo on his sexy trumpet. Sacha Boutros knows how to pump emotion into each of her songs, plush as a pillow and warm as a bedcover. I hear her passion clearly during her presentation of this standard jazz song written by Belgium singer/songwriter Jacques Brel in 1959. Although the title is in French, Boutros sings this one in English.
The next couple of songs are presented in French. She sings “Love in Portofino” in Italian.
As a philanthropist, Sacha Boutros serves as a Global Peace Ambassador for Jazz. Her musical works extend beyond music into cultural diplomacy, including the creation of ‘Peace Murals,’ where art and jazz meet as instruments of unity.
Boutros grew from humble beginnings. Her father fled from war-torn Lebanon to rebuild their lives in Paris and ultimately, in San Diego, California. Young Sacha grew up in Southern California. After obtaining a Marketing and International Business degree, she founded a record label and became one of very few female producers of jazz in the San Diego area.
Although she started out as a semi-professional soccer and tennis player, music was also her longtime love. Sacha has gone on to captivate audiences around the globe. Her voice spans four and a half octaves, but it’s her passion for storytelling that captivates this listener.
Accompanied only by bassist Thomas Bramerie for the first few verses, she sings “In the Still of the Night.” There is purity in her tone, and believability in her delivery. She swings “The Good Life,” singing in French first, a tribute to the popular French composer, and then she switches to English.
In 2017, Sacha Boutros left America and relocated to Paris, where she has lived ever since. After surviving two battles with cancer, Sacha Boutros was determined to complete this album, honoring America’s truest and finest musical art form of Jazz. It is a celebration of not only music, but the strength, freedom and determination that makes Jazz so healing and amazing. It is a music that crosses all boundaries and embraces all cultures. This album is vocalist Sacha Boutros’ elegant gift to the world.
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Anthony Wilson Nonet
House Of The Singing Blossoms
(Sam First)
Anthony Wilson is well-known as a top-notch jazz guitarist but he has also been a creative arranger-composer since early in his career, occasionally leading a nonet. The first recording by the Anthony Wilson Nonet was in 1997 and included such notables as Carl Saunders, Jack Nimitz, Pete Christlieb, Bennie Wallace, Brad Mehldau, and Willie Jones III. There were further recordings in 1998, 1999, and 2006 but it had been 19 years since the last one. House Of The Singing Blossoms, a two-CD set, has completely different personnel than the previous nonet albums other than drummer Mark Ferber (who joined the group in 1999) and trombonist Alan Ferber who was there for the 2006 album.
The current nonet with guitarist Anthony Wilson consists of the two Ferbers, CJ Camerieri on trumpet and French horn, altoist Nicole McCabe, tenor-saxophonist Bob Reynolds, baritonist Henry Solomon, pianist Gerald Clayton, and bassist Anna Butterss. The wide-ranging repertoire includes the uptempo “Triple Chase” by Anthony’s father Gerald Wilson, two Joe Zawinul pieces (a feature for Wilson on “In A Silent Way” and a joyful “Walk Tall”), Bennie Wallace’s “Bordertown” which has a witty old-timey feel worthy of Charles Mingus, a somber version of the Beatles song “Because,” two Keith Jarrett songs (“Yaqui Indian Folk Song” and “Le Mistral”), Ben Wendel’s “Simple Song” (which is anything but), and two works by the leader. Of the latter, the episodic “House Of The Singing Blossoms,” which is well worth hearing several times, has the most involved writing with several moods explored while “Blues For Wandering Angels” features a very expressive alto solo from McCabe and a completely unpredictable improvisation from trombonist Ferber. Wilson’s arrangement with the French horn on “Blues For Wandering Angels” is sometimes a little reminiscent of Gil Evans.
All in all, this is an intriguing set that includes some passionate solos (including Reynolds on “Simple Song” and Wilson, Clayton, and the three saxophonists on “Triple Chase’) but is most notable for Anthony Wilson’s inventive writing. It was recorded at the very significant Los Angeles club Sam First and is available from www.samfirstrecords.com.
Horace Silver
Silver In Seattle – Live At The Penthouse
(Blue Note)
Horace Silver (1928-2014) was an influential force as a pianist, composer, and bandleader throughout his career. He was one of the founders of hard bop, performing in his distinctive style on a quartet date with Miles Davis as early as 1954. He led a series of two-horn quintets that served as the perfect vehicle for his many catchy compositions and his funky piano style. Silver’s most famous quintet which had trumpeter Blue Mitchell, tenor-saxophonist Junior Cook, bassist Gene Taylor, and drummer Roy Brooks (Louis Hayes was the original drummer in 1959) lasted from 1959-64. Just as Silver had done when he took the musicians from Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in 1956 for his own group, Mitchell took the pianist’s sidemen for his new unit in 1964. Silver quickly formed a new quintet with tenor-saxophonist Joe Henderson, trumpeter Carmell Jones, bassist Teddy Smith, and drummer Roger Humphries and soon had a hit with “Song For My Father.” That group also recorded Henderson’s “The Kicker.” When they made the Cape Verdean Blues album in Oct. 1965, Woody Shaw was on trumpet with Bob Cranshaw temporarily on bass; J. J. Johnson guested on three of the six numbers. By the time Silver recorded his next studio album (The Jody Grind) later in 1966, Henderson had departed.
The previously unreleased live radio broadcasts from Aug. 12 and 19, 1965 that comprise the single disc Silver In Seattle were performed two months before The Cape Verdean Blues. This particular quintet, with Shaw, Henderson, Humphries, and Teddy Smith on bass never made a studio album. The performances are very well recorded and include Henderson’s “The Kicker” and four of the leader’s originals.
While each of the five numbers was recorded by Horace Silver elsewhere, these mostly-extended renditions have fresh solos and their share of fireworks. Each of the five musicians take solos on “The Kicker,” it is good to hear another version of “Song For My Father” particularly since Shaw did not get to record it with Silver, and “The Cape Verdean Blues” has its joyful moments. “Sayonara Blues,” which the pianist had recorded in 1962 with the Mitchell-Cook quintet, includes a nine minute solo from Silver where he inventively makes the most out of the vamp. Silver In Seattle concludes with a relatively brief and boppish “No Smokin’” which was originally recorded back in 1957.
This Zev Feldman production (available from www.amazon.com) includes a 36-page booklet filled with fascinating interviews with Roger Humphries, Alvin Queen, and Sullivan Fortner along with a great one with Randy Brecker. Silver In Seattle is a must for all Horace Silver fans.
Brandon Woody
For The Love Of It All
(Blue Note)
A brilliant young trumpeter based in Baltimore, Brandon Woody makes his recording debut as a leader on For The Love Of It All. He has a powerful sound that hints in spots at Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw although he already displays his own musical personality.
On For The Love Of It All, Woody is showcased in a quartet with pianist Troy Long, bassist Michael Saunders, and drummer Quincy Phillips. One song apiece has background vocals as part of the ensemble by Imani-Grace or quiet synthesizer playing from Vittorio Stropoli. The group performs six songs written by trumpeter Brandon Woods with pianist Long co-composing three of them.
The originals set moods rather than offer memorable melodies, are sometimes cinematic, and feature plenty of passionate trumpet playing. To name a few highlights, “Never Gonna Run Away” uses variations of an 11-note phrase as its basis, “Beyond The Beach Of Our Eyes” is often picturesque, and “We, Ota Benga” is a moody ballad that builds in tension and passion throughout the piece before concluding with the repeating of a triumphant phrase and some outbursts from Woody. But in reality the six performances, which develop as they progress rather than repeating chord sequences, hold together as a suite.
The result is an impressive and mature statement from Brandon Woody, a trumpeter with unlimited potential. For The Love Of It All is available from www.amazon.com and www.bluenote.com.
Josie Falbo
Kickin’ It
(Self-Released)
In 2020, Josie Falbo’s album You Must Believe In Spring (Southport) was a major surprise and a bit of a revelation. Where did this powerful jazz singer come from? As it turned out, she had been a very busy studio singer in Chicago during the previous 35 years, working as a background vocalist and on scores of commercials. Her only previous album was Taylor Street from many years earlier. You Must Believe In Spring was a long overdue showcase for her jazz abilities.
Five years later out comes Kickin’ It. With Carey Deadman providing arrangements for a variety of instrumentations including a big band and strings, and Marshall Vente writing for three Brazilian numbers, the singer is joined by many top-notch Chicago-based musicians; best-known are guitarist Fareed Haque, alto and soprano-saxophonist Jim Gailloreto, pianist Jeremy Kahn, and tenor-saxophonist Geoff Bradfield. But although short solos are sprinkled throughout the album, the spotlight is primarily on the singer.
Once again, Josie Falbo is heard in very impressive form. The wide-ranging repertoire includes such gems as a swinging “I Get A Kick Out Of You,” the always-beautiful “Autumn Nocturne,” “I Just Found Out About Love,” “Social Call,” an atmospheric “Lazy Afternoon,” and the playful and scat-filled “Estamos Ai” among the highlights. Displaying a beautiful voice with a very wide range (comparable to Ella Fitzgerald’s), Josie Falbo always gives each song what it needs. This album and the previous one show she deserves to be ranked as one of today’s top singers. The enjoyable set is available from www.josiefalbo.net and www.amazon.com.
Hiromi
Out There
(Concord)
Hiromi is a true powerhouse on the piano and her keyboards. She plays with the technique of an Art Tatum and, due to her remarkable high energy, infectious enthusiasm, and constant smile, her music is fairly accessible even when it sounds impossible to play.
Out There features Hiromi’s current quartet. Trumpeter Adam O’Farrill, bassist Hadrien Feraudm, and drummer Gene Coye join her in performing a set of her originals including the four-part “Out There” and two versions of “Pendulum,” one of which has a brief vocal by Michelle Willis.
From the start of the opening “XYZ” until the CD concludes with “Balloon Pop,” Hiromi’s whirlwind energy and rapid output of notes are consistently wondrous. While I prefer her as a solo acoustic pianist, her keyboard work is always impressive and colorful. Her sidemen somehow keep up with her (O’Farrill is outstanding) while making the orchestral ensembles sound like they are being played by a much larger group than just a quartet. Some of the pieces (such as “Yes! Ramen!!”) sound like epics but these are leavened by witty moments and the joy of the music. Also, for contrast, there are some relaxed stretches including “Out There’s “Strollin’,” but it is not long before the heat gets turned up again.
This is high-quality fusion with virtuosity on the level of the Mahavishnu Orchestra despite the very different instrumentation. Hiromi is a force that cannot be overlooked or explained away. Her Out There CD is available from www.concordjazz.com.
John Scofield and Dave Holland
Memories Of Home
(ECM)
Guitarist John Scofield and bassist Dave Holland have been giants on their instruments since the 1970s. While they both have endless resumes, they have not performed together as often as one might have thought. Scofield and Holland first teamed up in a recording studio on Joe Henderson’s 1992 album So Near, So Far. They also met up on Henderson’s Porgy and Bess (1997) and on records by Herbie Hancock, Chris Potter, Roy Haynes, and Joe Lovano (2002), but the Lovano project was their most recent one until Memories Of Home 22 years later.
Scofield and Holland perform nine duets on Memories Of Home with five being originals by Scofield and four being Holland pieces. Their compositions mostly utilize original chord changes other than Holland’s “You I Love” which is a swinging contrafact of Cole Porter’s “I Love You.” The two musicians are very much equals on this relaxed and spontaneous session with Holland having nearly as much solo space as Scofield. The music is mostly taken at slow to medium tempos and the result is a musical conversation between two old friends with nothing to prove except their apparently effortless brilliance. Memories Of Home is available from www.amazon.com.
Ted Brown Quartet
Just You, Just Me
(New Artists)
Tenor-saxophonist Ted Brown, who will be turning 98 this month, was 86 at the time of the previously unreleased performances on Just You, Just Me. The cool-toned tenor, inspired by Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Lee Konitz, Warne Marsh and his teacher Lennie Tristano, always had a thoughtful and melodic approach. Like Marsh, he was always able to come up with a seemingly endless amount of creative ideas while playing over the chord changes of standards.
The trio of pianist Jon Easton, bassist Don Messina (who made this release possible), and drummer Bill Chattin have played together for decades and they worked regularly with Ted Brown during the time of this album. The recording quality is decent with the music being documented at several clubs in 2013. Brown stretches out on such numbers as “After You’ve Gone,” “I Can’t Believe That You’re In Love With Me,” and “It’s You Or No One,” displaying an attractive tone and a style that is both searching and logical. Easton and Messina also get their share of solo space, playing with their own creative ideas while allowing the spotlight to mostly be on the legendary if still relatively little-known tenor.
Just You, Just Me, a very welcome release, is available from www.newartistsrecords.com.
Various Artists
West Coast Jazz A La Francaise 1954-1956
(Fresh Sound)
This is an intriguing sampler. While the French jazz scene in the 1950s was known for New Orleans jazz (with Sidney Bechet becoming a national hero), the swing of Django Reinhardt (at least in the early 50’s), and the rise of hard bop, West Coast cool jazz was not considered a dominant influence. But as can be heard by seven different groups of French jazz musicians recorded in the mid-1950s, there were some in France who embraced the music and played creatively within the style.
I wish that the programming on this 22-selection CD stuck with one group for its entire session rather than jumping between bands so listeners could focus on one band at a time, but otherwise this collection of rarities is quite well done. There are two selections by baritonist Pierre Gossez and trumpeter Fernand Verstraete in a pianoless quartet that could almost pass for a Gerry Mulligan group. Those enjoyable performances are taken from a five-song EP.
The excellent bop-based pianist Christian Chevallier heads a group with trumpeter Roger Guerin, bassist Pierre Michelot, and drummer Christian Garros that is clearly inspired by the Chet Baker quartet. They even play a medium-tempo Michelot original called “Chet.” Their four numbers on this reissue originally formed an EP by itself. Three songs, including cooking versions of “Out Of Nowhere” and “Broadway,” feature Jean-Louis Chautemps and Jean-Claude Fohrenbach in tenor battles. That set is actually led by pianist Raph Schecroun who later became known as Erroll Parker. These are three of the four quintet titles from an album which also had piano solos that are not included here.
The best-known of these French artists are pianists Claude Bolling and Martial Solal. Bolling, who plays on one song in a quintet, utilizes Solal on piano in a septet on three other numbers that he arranged. His writing is colorful and those selections are four of the six songs originally on an EP. A full four-song EP features tenor-saxophonist Bob Garcia in a quartet. Garcia sounds a bit like early Stan Getz. He is in fine form as is pianist Maurice Vander on four standards that include a cooking “I Remember You,” and a rapid “All The Things You Are.” Another EP’s content has baritone-saxophonist William Boucaya’s “New Sound Quartet,” a quintet/sextet with baritone, trumpet, French horn, bass, drums, and sometimes congas. Their music is a bit dry at times although not without interest. Finally there is one performance by Marcel Bianchi’s orchestra. The nonet plays a medium-tempo blues (“A La Mulligan)) that features the Charlie Christian-influenced guitar of Bianchi.
A 16-piece booklet by producer Jordi Pujol sorts all of this out and is a bonus on a release that should interest anyone who loves West Coast jazz. This package is available from www.freshsoundrecords.com.
Catalyst
Perception
(Muse/Craft Recordings)
Craft Recordings (www.craftrecordings.com) recently reissued a 1972 album by the long-forgotten group Catalyst as an Lp. That ensemble recorded four albums during 1972-75 (one for Cobblestone and three for Muse) of which Perception was their second release. Influenced by Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, the new electronics of the time, post-bop jazz, and aspects of r&b, Catalyst was a product of the time it that it was a bit experimental, mixed together different idioms, and searched for a new sound. The personnel differed a bit on each album but Odean Pope (tenor and flute), keyboardist Eddie Green (his electric piano is a major asset), and drummer Sherman Ferguson were constants with electric bassist Tyrone Brown joining the group in time for Perception.
Beyond the core quartet, this particular project had a major asset in the synthesizer playing of Patrick Gleeson who frequently gave the music an otherworldly sound. Also included are guitarist Norman Harris and both Billy Hart and Farel Johnson on percussion.
The first of the five selections is the lengthiest, the 15-minute title cut. Odean Pope, who often shows the influence of Joe Henderson on this album, has three solos (two on tenor and one on flute) during the episodic piece which covers a variety of moods and has Gleeson’s sounds adding to the performance’s uniqueness. Pope plays flute on the light ballad “Uzuri,” digs into the electronic groove on “Celestial Bodies,” and goes a bit outside on his atmospheric original “Ile Ife.” The album concludes with the easy-listening piece “Got To Be There” which features Harris’ guitar.
While Catalyst did not last, its unpredictable music is well worth discovering.
Nat Adderley Jr. Trio
Took So Long
(Self-Released)
Pianist-keyboardist Nat Adderley Jr, the son of cornetist Nat Adderley Sr. and the nephew of altoist Cannonball Adderley, has spent most of his career playing r&b and pop music including most notably with Luther Vandross during 1981-2003. While he guested on a couple of his uncle and father’s records in the 1970s and appeared on albums by saxophonist Dwight Andrews (1979), Gloria Lynne (1992), singer Dwight West (2009), Nicolas Bearde (2015), Jay Hoggard (2015 and 2022), and just a few others, Took So Long is his first jazz recording as a leader.
At 70, Adderley sounds fairly youthful on this set. He is joined by either Belden Bullock or Chris Berger on bass, and one of four drummers (Tommy Campbell, Vince Ector, Dwayne Broadnax, or Steve Johns). The music is mostly straight ahead jazz including tasteful treatments of such numbers as “Invitation,” a swinging “You And I,” a sensitive “You Don’t Know What Love Is,” and a classic rendition of “On Green Dolphin Street” and is often quite soulful. While there are occasional bass solos and fine support offered by the drummers, and Alana Adderley (the daughter of Nat Adderley Jr.) has a heartfelt vocal on “Don’t Explain,” the focus is mostly on the pianist.
The title cut is “Took So Long.” The high quality of this set (available from www.natadderleyjr.com) makes one ask “What took so long?” Hopefully Nat Adderley Jr. will start making up for lost time and come up with more jazz recordings since he clearly is a talented jazz pianist.
Jussi Reijonen
Sayr: Salt/Thirst
(Unmusic)
Although he was born and raised in Finland and also grew up in Jordan, Tanzania, Oman, and Lebanon, guitarist Jussi Reijonen has long lived in the United States. In his playing, he blends together all types of World music influences to create improvisations that do not fit into any specific genre although they have the chance taking and spirit of jazz.
Sayr: Salt/Thirst consists of two lengthy and freely improvised pieces with a total of 11 sections that feature Reijonen as an unaccompanied solo acoustic guitarist. His playing is thoughtful, quietly explorative, and spiritual in its own way. While this set due to its low volume can serve as background music, it is best to play it fairly loud because the subtleties and creativity of Reijonen’s playing can easily be lost without a close listen.
The music on Sayr: Salt/Thirst grows in interest each time it is heard. Jussi Reijonen’s CD is available from www.jussireijonen.com.
Rebecca Trescher
Changing Perspectives
(Enja/Yellowbird)
Rebecca Trescher, who was born and raised in Germany, is a bass clarinetist, clarinetist, and a particularly skilled composer. While classically trained, she is an excellent improviser (particularly on bass clarinet) who is also a very original writer.
Changing Perspectives, which is at least her ninth recording as a leader, features Ms. Trescher with pianist Andreas Feith, guitarist Philipp Bramswig, bassist Phil Donkin, drummer Tobias Backhaus, altoist Theresia Philipp (on five of the ten songs), and Joachim Lenhardt who plays tenor or flute on six numbers.
While there are some impressive individual solos, particularly from Trescher on bass clarinet on “Maandern” and “Farn,” and by pianist Feith throughout, it is the compositions (all by the leader with three co-composed by Feith) and arrangements that are most memorable. Some of the music, while always tonal, is quite dark, a few set mysterious moods or are stormy, and some other performances use patterns by the rhythm section as the basis for the improvisations.
It makes for an intriguing and generally fascinating listen. Rebecca Trescher and her new CD Changing Perspectives (available from www.enjarecords.com) are well worth discovering.