Tenor Saxophonist Branford Marsalis At Yoshi's San Francisco, California



Tenor saxophonist Branford Marsalis

The appearance of the Branford Marsalis Quartet at Yoshi's San Francisco, California Jazz Club (Sept. 21 - 25, 2011) was billed as, "An evening with one of the most innovative and forward-thinking jazz ensembles today." Oh yeah? Check your insurance cards at the door. It was more like five evenings with an 'innovative and forward-rolling earthquake.' Earthquakes are not unusual for the San Francisco Bay Area. What was unusual was, this one had a name. "Branford." Usually names are reserved for hurricanes, but this was different. Richter had no number. By Saturday night (Sept. 24), uncontrolled mayhem and unabating turbulence had reached a level that rendered the establishment an undisputed danger zone.

Marsalis had brought to the carnage: Pianist Joey Calderazzo, a guy that really thinks ahead - in music light years; a twenty-year old drummer, Justin Faulkner, who has the drive and energy of a booster rocket, packaged with the pounding dexterity of Elvin Jones; and bassist Eric Revis; melodic, innovative, electrifying, modern and forward-thinking; reminiscent of Ellington's Jimmy Blanton, or a Charles "Buster" Williams.

The Quartet came onto the bandstand at 10:30 pm sharp, Marsalis in the lead. You have to be warned about Branford; apart from being a one-man seismic event, he's got a mordant sense of humor, and the unique ability to kill a whole room with one-liners. He likes sports, and is up to date, so your major sports teams had better be doing well when he blows into town, or he is going to have a field day, or night, laying on the 'dozens.' But there were no 'dozens' coming out of Marsalis' horn when he opened the show with the late, great jazz pianist Kenny Kirkland's composition "Steepian Faith." Kirkland had a long-time association with Marsalis' as pianist in his band. He died in 1998 at age 43.

Pianist Joey Calderazzo

Marsalis created some temblors by starting out on soprano sax, on which he is extremely proficient, but on the tenor he is a monster, pure and simple. A portent of the looming major quake happening soon, appeared first in the antic, les doigts de l'homme (fleet fingered) piano of Joey Calderazzo, and the relentless, convulsive roar rising from Justin Faulkner's broiling drums.

The major quake hit at about 11:00 PM (PST); it had nothing to do with global warming as most might claim. It was directly centered at 1330 Folsom Street in the city of San Francisco, California. It bent the Richter scale needle into a U-turn; and was an unequivocal consequence of severe rhythmic tectonic shifts accompanying a sustained, brute force, firestorm of sound, as the quartet entered the sacred spiritual domain of John William Coltrane's "A Love Supreme," and paid homage with its second and third movements: "Resolution" and "Pursuance." 

The hostile explosion of sounds from tenor saxophone, piano, bass, drums, and the gigantic displacement of wave, upon wave of kinetic energy was like a collision of massive musical galaxies; too intense to avoid; riveting the audience to their chairs; too beautiful to ignore; igniting paroxysms of prolonged applause; and never before seen or felt in this jazz emporium. When it ended, and the shaking stopped, the time was 11:40 PM (PST).

Bassist Eric Revis

The after shocks set in immediately. To avoid further structural damage, Marsalis entered the "blues" canon of Duke Ellington and selected the evergreen "Mood Indigo." It visibly brought the audience back from the edge of their seats and settled them snugly under the influence of Marsalis' tenor, reprising the flowing, melodic lyricism of Ben Webster, as Calderazzo's tinkling keys selectively, effectively teased the melody, like Ellington would, against the deeply grounded, articulate bass of Eric Revis, while twenty-year old drummer Justin Faulkner displayed the subtlety and astute judgement of a seasoned veteran, employing the brushes with sublime delicacy, mellowing the mood and painting the canvas deep "Indigo."

They followed "Mood Indigo" with another selection of similar mood and tempo, as if to give the audience another opportunity to appreciate the other sensitive side of this high-powered quartet, and to ease them toward the realization that they were coming to the final moments of a beautiful evening of superb jazz. Unfortunately, Marsalis did not announce the name of the piece, and I did not recognize it.

But wait...

At the conclusion of this tune, the band left the stage signaling the end of show. The crowd gave them another standing ovation and made it known that they wanted an encore. I felt that the quartet had expended so much energy, that they couldn't have much left in the tank. But to my astonishment, they returned. This time Branford Marsalis brought to the stage, a young man that he introduced as Anthony (Diamond), I am not sure of his last name, but he had an alto saxophone slung around his neck. Marsalis disclosed that he had been mentoring Anthony for about 4 years along the lines of playing jazz, jazz history, its icons, and that Anthony was now attending Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, on a full academic scholarship studying Quantum Physics. Marsalis turned to Anthony and casually asked: "So what are you doing now, your Masters?" Anthony replied coolly: "My Doctorate." Right then, someone in the street whistled for a cab, and I'm sure I heard it. I now sat up, like everyone else in the room, and took a real hard look at this taciturn young man called Anthony, who's got a brain that won't quit; looks like a twenty-year old Dexter Gordon, though not quite as tall, and who wants to play his saxophone for a sold out crowd in Yoshi's San Francisco on a Saturday night. I began to wonder what other surprises he had hidden under that cool, unassuming exterior.

I did not have to wait long...

The quartet launched into William Kennedy "Duke" Ellington's 1931 jazz standard "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing"), Marsalis powered up and took the first solo at thoroughbred speed, 'the kid' stood still, head down, sorta diggin' it. Marsalis reined in the fire, and turned the night over to 'young Dexter' with a cursory nod of his head.

Drummer Justin Faulkner

In the quantum moment it took the 'nod' to reach Anthony, something mystical transpired. He stepped out of that telephone booth, raised that 'Big S' to his lips, and took off in a single bound, leaping over all the tall buildings in the City; he took it, 'swung' it, 'rocked' it', 'be-bopped' it, 'swung' it some more, and fused it all with crimson fire out of his white hot alto saxophone; then he casually handed it over to Joey Calderazzo and Justin Faulkner; walked real easy to the back of the stage, and sat down quietly. The room erupted...but this was only the beginning! Calderazzo, Revis and Faulkner then burnt it to a crisp, Marsalis came for a second solo and almost caught the building on fire; then Anthony returned for his second solo, this time he was toting fire accelerant. He was serious about burning the joint down. I took a look at the crowd, I saw the look in their eyes, they were happy for Anthony; glad and surprised that he could handle himself with such professional aplomb; glad that they were present to see and be thrilled by this gifted, budding star; amazed at his ability to come in and put 'three in the back of the net' with authority, in the final ten minutes of the game. But the high wire act had to end. Eventually, Marsalis and Anthony teamed up, blew some solid contrapuntal lines and put the evening to bed. The audience gave them all a rousing standing ovation.

Nobody called for an encore after that!

Caveat: If you hear that the Branford Marsalis Quartet is coming to your city, or town, to play jazz...Beware people! Beware! Buy insurance!

If you learn that Joey Calderazzo is making the gig to play piano...Think twice about it! Think twice!

If you read that Eric Revis will be bringing his bass...Don't do it! Make up an excuse! Don't do it!

And if anyone barely mentions, that Justin Faulkner will be in the drummer's chair...Run! Just run! As fast as you can!

Because a maelstrom of murderous, blast furnace, post be-bop torridness, brought on by gratuitous mayhem and uncontrollable chaos, will be unleashed on your senses; and you will never be the same again....

If you think I'm kiddin,' go see them!
                                        
                                        

CD Review: Featured Artist - Shirley Crabbe: Debut Album "Home"

Year: 2011

Style: Jazz Vocalist

Label: MaiSong Music & Entertainment

Musicians: Shirley Crabbe - Vocals; Jim West - Piano; Donald Vega - Piano; John Burr - Bass; Alvester Garnett - Drums; Brandon Lee - Trumpet; Dave Glasser - Saxophone & Flute; Matt Haviland - Trombone.

Special Guest: Houston Person - Tenor Saxophone ("Lucky To Be Me," "Strong Man")

Jazz vocalist Shirley Crabbe

CD Review: Making music professionally can be a cruelly stressful business; especially for vocalists. Just the misfortune of a vocal chord injury can hasten a premature end to a once promising singing career; as was the case with jazz vocalist Shirley Crabbe. A return to singing typically requires patience, determination, confidence, undying passion, lots of guts, and a little luck. Shirley Crabbe has managed to pull them all together, and with the help of an exceptional group of supporting musicians that believed in her, she has released an especially thrilling debut CD: "Home."

In selecting the material for this CD, Crabbe has turned to an eclectic group of esteemed composers and song writers imbuing her work with depth, modernity, charm, vigor and spirited elan; bracketing the whole work with compositions by Leonard Bernstein and George Gershwin: and complementing the body with the music of Sammy Cahn, McCoy Tyner, Sir Roland Hanna, Oscar Brown Jr., Stephen Sondheim, and Carole King.

Shirley Crabbe is a jazz vocalist who sings passionately from the heart: "Home" speaks to the heart in a variety of ways based on the choices she is able to make because of her classical training as a singer, enduring musical influences, and invaluable experience singing in various New York jazz clubs. She proceeds in a careful, ascending musical arc that starts out with two swinging appraisals of life; Leonard Bernstein's invigorating, "Lucky To Be Me," to which tenor saxophone icon Houston Person gives tremendous thrust and lift, with an after-burner solo, that positions the date onto an upward musical trajectory from which it never veers; and McCoy Tyner's luscious "You Taught My Heart To Sing," out of which comes a delectable solo from pianist Donald Vega.

Crabbe's voice is delightfully warm and smoothly matured. She sings with enviable intonation; is comfortable at any tempo, effortlessly executing each with an astute discernment of the lyric, and an interpretive profundity that facilitates adding another instrument (her voice) to the talented, versatile group of musicians playing behind her. She also shows brilliant form as an arranger on four of the tracks on the CD; most notably, "You Taught My Heart To Sing" and "Summertime."

Crabbe studied classical music, by day, at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music in New York City, and in the evening, she trekked downtown to sing jazz in the clubs. This routine brings to mind a similar habit of trumpeter Miles Davis when he first arrived in New York City in the early 40's, to study at the equally illustrious Julliard School of Music. He too used to attend classes during the day, and then 'go looking' for 'Bird' and 'Monk' at night in the jazz clubs on 52nd Street; not entirely undistinguished footsteps to follow in the musical sands of time.

Crabbe has amassed a superfluity of working experience during her career's nascence - performing at New York City's Metropolitan Room; Birdland; Madison Square Garden's Paramount Theatre; opening for the late Abbey Lincoln; working alongside jazz-fusion artists tenor/soprano saxophonist/composer Marion Meadows, urban jazz specialist, keyboardist Bob Baldwin; and performing with pianist Harold Maybern and bassist Jamil Nasser - she was inspired by The First Lady of Song: Ella Fitzgerald, and is a staunch adherent to Ms. Fitzgerald's school of impeccable, fluid enunciation, and phrasing; elements of vocalizing that singer Frank Sinatra admitted also 'learning' from Ella. Crabbe displays both like second nature on the tender title track, Charlie Hall's "Home," and Sir Roland Hanna's poignant "Seasons." On both selections pianist Donald Vega displays sensitive, thoughtful pianism that perfectly complements the tone and mood of the song and allows Shirley Crabbe's voice to paint beautiful, rounded colors against the luxuriant palette he lays out beneath her.

As Crabbe continues to ease her way up this adaptable musical arc, its appeal becomes more intimate, she  reaches deeper into her heart for expression and there is a sense that something special, even spiritual is happening, the band tactfully follows her lead into each moment of the songs, supporting her with 'less is more,' uncluttered backing and a bracing simplicity ("Strong Man," "Not While I'm Around"), that invoke memories of the magic made between Nancy Wilson and the Julian "Cannonball" Adderley Quintet during Wilson's historic 1962 singing debut. Houston Person returns with a 'strong' tenor presence on Oscar Brown Jr's "Strong Man," and Brandon Lee's muted trumpet on "Not While I'm Around" is deliciously haunting, yet offering the subtle strong-willed reassurance implied in the song's title.

Crabbe reaches the high-point of the CD's performance arc with a sincere and enchanting lyrical reading of Carol King's pop classic "You're So Far Away," making the song seem 'so right' for her voice. She extends the climax 'swingin' into Gershwin's "Summertime," adding heartfelt joy, appreciation and verve to the feeling of optimistic assurance inherent in the lyric; she ends the CD as she started it, stating a love for life with accented certainty, in spite of it's vicissitudes.

It is refreshing to listen to a 'pure' standard-setting jazz singer who adamantly eschews the use of vocal histrionics to 'get over,' instead relying on the best writers, committed musicians, and her own pristine talent. Jazz music is richer to have a vocalist of such high caliber as Shirley Crabbe, return "Home."

Track Listing: Lucky To Be Me; You Taught My Heart To Sing; Home; Seasons; Detour Ahead; Strong Man; Not While I'm Around; So Far Away; Summertime.

Recorded at Bennett Studios, Englewood NJ
Engineered by Alessandro Perrotta
Mixed by Katherine Miller at Annandale Recording
Mastered by Alan Silverman, Arf! Mastering, NYC
Manufactured and printed by Disc Makers
Liner Notes & Editor - Deborah Crabbe
Music Preparation Shirley Crabbe
Senior Executive Producer - Shirley Crabbe
Executive Producers - Deborah Crabbe, Helen Crabbe
Producer & Musical Director - Donald Vega
Production Assistant - Samantha Carlevaro

CD Review: Featured Artist - Saxophonist/Composer Geoff Vidal - Debut Recording: "She Likes That"

Year: 2011

Style: Jazz

Label: The Arts & Music Factory

Musicians: Geoff Vidal - tenor sax; Tatum Greenblatt - trumpet/flugelhorn; Joe Hundertmark - guitar; Michael O'Brien - bass; Makaya McCraven - drums.

Tenor Saxophonist/Composer Geoff Vidal
Photo courtesy: nippertown.com

CD Review: Releasing a debut album, especially a jazz album, must bring excitement, trepidation, and raise many questions. Saxophonist/composer Geoff Vidal's electrifying debut recording, "She Likes That," is an album to be excited about. It is enriched by talented, versatile, accomplished musicians. Trepidation seems to be a non-issue with this assertive, gritty bunch; they are current, up-to-date, and fresh.

For Vidal, a native of Falmouth, Massachusetts - who moved to New Orleans after attending the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he studied music theory and jazz history - initially mesmerized by "New Orleans rock n' roll, with all that Mardi Gras funk," then blown out by Hurricane Katrina (2005), and finally ending up in New York, this CD certainly answers questions about survival, confidence and determination, all of which add and extra dimension of  appeal and importance to its cachet. There is also the amazing serendipity of hooking up with the perfect musicians to make the date a success.

"She Likes That," has an overall energetic emotional character centered around the search for, and discovery of, a 'voice,' (Vidal's); a locus point for jazz's seductive charm to play out; and people of like mind. It starts out with a steaming brew of high-quality, high-altitude "Darjeeling" black tea pouring out of Vidal's tempered saxophone and Tatum Greenblatt's quick trumpet. Like excited connoisseurs, both relish its aroma and energizing effect. Lively, quick on their feet, and full of musical witticisms, Vidal and Greenblatt roar down the tune like the churning wheels on a sprinting Harley; each accounting for a perfect ride, no matter the velocity. Makaya McCraven's insistent, aggressive drumming imparts muscularity and ruggedness to the ride with a surety that good engines relish.

In fact, the band's rhythm section literally jumps off the CD jacket. Guitarist Joe Hundertmark and drummer Makaya McCraven are composers and multi-instrumentalists. Michael O'Brien is a multi-disciplined bassist.They represent three prodigious, acclaimed, trend-setting tines on a fork of jazz free- thinkers picking up the pace in the vanguard of New York's young, restless jazz scene; they assemble in this moment, to supply awesome horsepower to the band's 'engine room;' to assist in composing some of the CD's original material and to continue the endless search for the muse.

Before this venture was given sanction, or a name, members of the group had crossed paths or played together in various high visibility bands around New York jazz haunts: The Fat Cat Big Band, led by guitarist/arranger/composer Jade Synstelein; Greater Than 5, led by Michael O'Brien; and a quartet co-led by Vidal and tenor saxophonist Noah Preminger. These various associations represented invaluable, elongated, intense rehearsal sessions for their debut. They hit on all cylinders with one-on-one funky tightness (Different Planes) out of O'Brien's thundering bass, Hundertmark's driving guitar, and Vidal's red-blooded tenor; creating a rhythmic, harmonic chemistry that anchors the band and makes it stand out.

This is a band with an innate 'killer instinct.' It mounts a sustained mid-section assault with (Different Planes), and then drops you for the count with (O-Zoning) a tune straight out of a sweltering concrete jungle, spraying steady heat like Vidal's horn was a flame thrower, set to medium for maximum burn.

But there's also a time for finding beauty; driving home the feeling of belonging at last; and remembering roots (Time Apart; Lanusa). The languorous, emotional tone of the tenor paints a picture of indigo melancholy that seems to unfasten the silences, and ponder the road traveled; belying the psychological years of this young player; but he says what's inside him anyway.

Eventually the beautiful flugelhorn of Tatum Greenblatt let itself be heard (Freediver), painting warm, rounded colors over the irregular edges of Vidal's tenor, McCraven's steady sticks and the agitated voice of Hundertmark's guitar, to produce a counteraction that seemed more like a collective sigh of melodic satisfaction. Then they put the ensemble into deep funk overdrive for the title, and ending track (She Likes That); strapped themselves in; ramped it up; and took it out.

Track Listing: Darjeeling; Different Planes; O-Zoning; Time Apart; Freediver; Lanusa; She Likes That.

Recorded and mixed by Justin Pizzoferrato at Bank Row Studios, Greenfield, MA
Mastered by Ian Kennedy

Produced by Makaya McCraven & Geoff Vidal

CD Review: Stranahan - Zaleski - Rosato: "Anticipation"

Year: 2011

Style: Modern Jazz

Label: Capri Records

Musicians: Colin Stranahan - drums; Glenn Zaleski - piano; Rick Rosato - bass.



Colin Stranahan; Rick Rosato; Glenn Zaleski
Photo courtesy; milescafe.com



CD Review: What makes this jazz trio immediately appealing is, its sound working chemistry, genuine modernity, adroit use of 'space,' and their skillful performance of standards and original compositions. It also does not hurt that the recording quality of the CD is excellent, giving the band a clear, clean, 'up front' sound.

The members of the trio arrive on the bandstand with impressive academic credentials and 'dues' paid. Each has studied music at New York's New School University. Drummer Colin Stranahan and pianist Glenn Zaleski have spent time studying at the prestigious Brubeck Institute in Stockton, California.

Stranahan finished his studies at the Monk Institute in New Orleans where his educators were trumpeter Terrence Blanchard, pianist/composer Herbie Hancock and tenor saxophonist/composer Wayne Shorter.

Zaleski is pursuing graduate studies at NYU. He has was a finalist in both the APA Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz, and the Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition.

Bassist Rick Rosato currently lives in Montreal, Canada, where he is finishing a master's degree in music at McGill University. He is in great demand Internationally as well as in the United States, and has performed with leading artists Ari Hoenig, the Leboeuf Brothers, and Aaron Parks among others.

The trio opens "Anticipation," a date framed by two popular standards; the first being the 1939 Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein standard "All The Things You Are," dressing the song up in bright bopish colors from Zaleski's keen piano and an inventively rhythmic Rick Rosato bass. Zaleski's piano refreshes, and keeps in tact, the sophisticated allure, and delightful emotion of the song with a simple, unadorned statement of the melody.

A mark of professional, successful musicianship is an ability to play well 'slowly'  without mistakes; ("Deep Blue") by Glenn Zaleski, ("Clark") written by Rick Rosato, ("First Rain") composed by Colin Stranahan, provide musical avenues for the trio to stroll quietly in deep, purposeful thought, with luminous phrasing and ideas rising serenely from the piano, that possess an obvious logical coherence and improvisational reasoning; empowering bass and drums to augment the compositions' warmth and comforting sincerity without difficulty; simultaneously providing evidence of the trio's impressive innovative strength, and desire for individual expression.

Progressive, improvisational jazz gives a trio an extended musical fabric to color, or to weave intricate textures throughout  the 'space' available. Over such an expanse, noise and cluttering are natural enemies of  musicians and anathema to the listener. On three original compositions, the trio shows great maturity, restraint and deftness in avoiding such pitfalls, ("On The Road", "Orgiami," "Anticipation"). It is on "Anticipation" that drummer Stranahan displays the robust drumming form and articulation that make him an effective, in demand, percussive communicator when on tour with Maria Neckam, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Fred Hersch or many of the leading jazz groups.

I doubt that it was by after thought that Miles Davis' 1949 jazz classic "Boplicity," from the Birth of the Cool album, was included in "Anticipation." Because, in a silent way, it is perfect for the trio. It is recognizable; it gives the trio a sense and feeling of familiarity; it also allows the players classic playing freedom; and who better to look to for lots of space, than Miles Davis, a composer who eschewed 'lots of notes;' a staunch adherent to a musical philosophy that, less is more; a leader who encouraged his side men to 'play what isn't there.' He gave tenor saxophonist John Coltrane ultimate space and freedom in his bands (Miles' great 50's & 60's quintet & sextet), and the rest is jazz history.

With "Boplicity," Pianist Zaleski pulls of the equivalent of a musical 'coup.' He dazzles like a rare gem as he anticipates the history and bracing appeal of the tune; reprising the original brass and three instrumentalists out of the space he finds; giving a faultlessly fresh interpretation of the classic.

The frame of the CD is completed and squared with the CD's second great standard: a thoughtful, searching reading of the Alex Stordahl/Paul Weston/Sammy Cahn 1944 popular song "I Should Care," It is the shortest tune on the CD. Apart from the tune's melodic and harmonic draw, and the title's subliminal emotional adjuration; it is the trio's teasingly abridged rendition of the song that makes the listener instinctively want to hear more.

Well, We'll just have to linger in anticipation of the next Stranahan - Zaleski - Rosato collaboration.

Track Listing: All The Things You Are; Deep Blue; On The Road; Clark; Orgiami; First Rain; Anticipation; Boplicity; I Should Care.

Recorded and mixed at NFA Studios by Colin Bricker.

Mastered at AIRSHOW by David Glasser.

Produced by Thomas Burns.

   

CD: Review - New York Standards Quartet: "Unstandard."

Year: 2011

Style: Modern Jazz

Label: A & R Challenge Records

Musicians: David Berkman - piano; Tim Armacost - saxophones & alto flute; Gene Jackson - drums; Yosuke Inoue - double bass.

New York Standards Quartet
L to R: Gene Jackson; Tim Armacost; David Berkman; Yosuke Inoue
Photo courtesy: facebook.com

CD Review: The New York Standards Quartet (NYSQ) humbly describe themselves as "a band of friends that has been working together for the last 6 years." But a brief look at their backgrounds, reveals more steadfast bonds and common purpose to their artistic association. They all compose and lead bands that concentrate on playing standard jazz tunes; and as this new CD: "Unstandard" reveals, they are extremely well endowed musically and have produced an album of high caliber modern jazz; even if it simply, "would be fun and liberating to play music based on simpler, standard jazz tunes" (David Berkman).

Pianist/band leader and much-traveled David Berkman has 5 critically acclaimed CDs to his credit. He has performed with many jazz icons, among them, bebop/hard bop saxophonist Edward "Sonny" Stitt (one of the most formidable and intense), trumpeter Tom Harrell and the Vanguard Orchestra. He is an Assistant Professor in the Jazz M. M. program at Queens College, New York.

Saxophonist/flautist Tim Armacost, also staunchly peripatetic, having spent 20 years on the road, has released eight albums as a leader; is a member of Ali Jackson's "Hornz in the Hood" with post-bop tenor saxophonists Craig Handy and Ravi Coltrane, drummer Jimmy Cobb, pianists Billy Hart and Victor Lewis. He is on the faculty of the Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshop, and conducts improvisation master classes at universities around the US, Japan and Europe.

Bassist Yosuke Inoue, a native of Tokyo, Japan, but now residing in New York, has recorded six albums as a leader. He has worked with numerous Jazz legends including the impeccable pianist/ bandleader/ composer, Henry "Hank" Jones, clarinetist Eddie Daniels, tenor/alto saxophonist Abraham Burton and drummer Matt Wilson. He was named 'Top Bassist' in Japan by Swing Journal three years in succession.

Gene Jackson is a world class jazz drummer whose services are in constant demand by top jazz musicians. He has worked with, saxophonists Wayne Shorter and Branford Marsalis, trumpeter/ composer Charles Tolliver, pianist/composer Herbie Hancock, and The Mingus Big Band. He divides his busy schedule between Tokyo, Japan and Brooklyn, New York.

"Unstandard," does not over emphasize the re-manufacturing of old standards, but it focuses on the individual interpretive cachet brought to those standards by the members of the quartet. The CD features  the work of first-rate composers (Jerome Kern; Morgan Lewis; Benny Golson; Jimmy Van Heusen; Bill Evans), with a few tunes composed by members of the quartet and some artfully arranged musical vignettes that serve to stainlessly bind the main pieces together.

A repeating pattern of hypnotic notes from Yosuke Inoue's bass draws the listener into the first track; Morgan Lewis' 1940 composition, (How High The Moon). Tim Armacost's intimate sax completes the embrace against a shimmering background of rhythmic droplets from drummer Gene Jackson, swept along by the free flow of David Berkman's  piano and the bracing effect of Inoue's echoing bass figures. A feeling of modernity combined with the quartet's ultra freedom of interpretation - patently conspicuous throughout the CD - makes the music's emotional character more exciting and delightful, than nostalgic.

Turning to the strong melody in Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein's (All The Things You Are) allows Gene Jackson to show rippling hand speed with well placed agitated staccato passages, behind Berkman's bluesy, bopish piano and Armacost's lyrical sax; and almost as a natural consequence, the quartet finds a perfect fit for Armacost's broodingly melodic tenor sax inside bebop tenor  saxophonist/composer/arranger Benny Golson's jazz standard, ("Stablemates"), painting beautifully lush colors over the sharp, energetic contours of the rhythm section. Pianist Berkman is heard matching soloing wits with Armacost, until both exhaust every meter of original thought that clothes their ideas.

A noticeable difference in the appeal of the music occurs with the emotional and sensitive rendition of the Jimmy Van Heusen/Johnny Burke 1947 standard ("But Beautiful"), from the flute of Tim Armacost, and sets up the bridge toward more abstraction and alteration of the harmony in the quartet's approach to straight ahead jazz (Lunar), which is a scintillating David Berkman re-interpretation of Miles Davis' 1954 modern jazz standard "Solar." On "Lunar" the rhythm section simply cooks and Yosuke Inoue showcases the agility and resource on bass that garnered him "Top Bassist" from Japan's Swing Journal three years successively.

Tim Armacost acknowledges that tenor icon Sonny Rollins significantly shaped his early development, and shades of Rollins unambiguously pepper his playing on pianist Bill Evans' 1962 tune (Interplay), and his, and Gene Jackson's composition (Two Meetings). He and the rest of the quartet then turn Victor Young's immensely popular 1944 standard "Stella By Starlight" into their own (The Ballet Girl Stirs (By Starlight)); unclothing her to bare titillating essentials; beholden with light from a million stars, and revealing enough of her intimate beauty to drive you mad.

It was only a matter of time before drummer Gene Jackson broke out of his cage and started a rumble. He made his move on the Warren/Dubin tune (Summer Nights); going after the rhythm on the vapor trails of Armacost's blazing saxophone like a man possessed. His momentum was locomotive-forward, and when he reached open country, he pushed into Armacost's horn with the force of a rhino; the scene flew by leaving scorch marks on the air; only Armacost's dexterity and instrumental athleticism kept him from being "road kill."

No matter what NYSQ says about "how fun and liberating," it is "to play music based on simpler, standard jazz tunes," take that with all the salt you can handle. These are master musicians slicing "The Apple" to the core. This is a CD that should be on the 'must have' list of every serious jazz music enthusiast.

Track Listing: How High The Moon; Polka Beamlet; All The Things You Are; Polka Beamlet #2; Stablemates; But Beautiful; Lunar; Interplay; Two Meetings; The Ballet Girl Stirs (by Starlight); After Thought; Summer Nights; Polka Beamlet #3.

Recorded at Studio DEDE, Tokyo, Japan.
Mixed by Katuhiko Naito at Avatar Studios.

Tim Armasost plays Rico Reeds and uses AMT microphones.

Gene Jackson plays Pearl Drums and Zidjian cymbals and sticks.

Produced by Anne de Jong.

CD: Review - Tim Hagans - "The Moon Is Waiting."

Year: 2011

Style: Jazz/Improvisation

Label: Palmetto Records

Musicians: Tim Hagans - trumpet; Vic Juris - guitar; Rufus Reid - bass; Jukkis Uotila - drums.

Trumpeter/composer/bandleader
Tim Hagans
Photo courtesy: allaboutjazz.com

Review: A bold assertion from a bandleader/composer, on the release of a new CD, that he's "not comfortable making comfortable music," and that his music "is tightly structured to allow for the wildest playing possible," as Tim Hagan does, is akin to a warning that a monster storm is approaching; and one can make provisions to seek a safe harbor; strong shelter on higher ground; or decide that the excitement and adventure attached to an 'up close and personal' experience, are too inviting to miss; to stay put, and ride it out.

Hagans' new CD: "The Moon Is Waiting," seems to fit squarely into the mold of a musical hurricane, with a spontaneous combustion category 5 rating.

"The Moon Is Waiting" blows in packing severely destructive turbulence in the Courtois trumpet of Tim Hagan; riding on an incredible wave of energy created by drummer Jukkis Uotila; with an inexorable forward thrust, relentlessly propelled by guitarist Vic Juris and bassist Rufus Reid. Landfall is made at ("Ornette's Waking Dream Of A Woman."), with swelling rivers of improvisational thought channeling one of the major innovators of the 20th Century free jazz movement: Ornette Coleman. Hagans' trumpet work is clear, sparkling, round, almost melodic and lyrical, but always free; there is decided organized turbulence beneath his fiery breath though, rumbling out of Jukkis Uotila's 'Pearl drums,' Rufus Reid's 'Josef Reiger' bass, and Vic Juris's, Chuck Berry inspired, electric guitar.

Guitarist Vic Juris

With two Grammy-nominated jazz recordings: Animation Imagination (Blue Note 1999), and Re: Animation (Blue Note 2000), followed with a 2011 Grammy nomination for "Best Instrumental Composition" for his song "Box of Cannoli" (The Music of Tim Hagans: Fuzzy Music 2010), Hagans is an artist that must be taken very seriously, both as a musician, and in his comments about his music. Therefore, his remark that "as a trumpet player the most important instrument is the drum," apart from the obvious importance and responsibility it places on his drummers, there is the unique vantage point it affords the listener from which to view this critical symbiotic relationship between trumpet and drum, as it relates to listening, interplay, energy flow, and the distribution of ideas inside the quartet. Essential creative fuel for the quartet flows out of the exchanges between Hagan and Uotila (First Jazz), heard distinctly in the fierce bopish opening of animated conversations between drums and trumpet. Vic Juris (guitar) intercedes and releases the tension, but the relentless Uotila drums return, re-energizing the interchange with Hagans' horn; draining the trumpet of its every idea and riposte; wringing every molecule of energy from the surrounding air as the track ends.

In spite of, or maybe because of the structure allowed for the wildest playing possible, the blues is not left out of the wealth of working ideas within the quartet. In (Boo), a composition dedicated to Hagans' father, Hagans' 'Milesian,' and Juris' guitar blues riffs, provide the groove and feeling for Rufus Reid's bass and Uotila's drums to 'get down' with a trance-like rhythm, as though Mississippi mud was all the way up to their ears. This gives the work a contrasting, laid back, rhythmic balance, much like the calm in the eye of a hurricane.

Bassist Rufus Reid

Considering that all the music on "The Moon Is Waiting" is composed by Hagans; for 15 years he has been the leader of Sweden's Norrbotten Big band; has performed with Bob Belden's Animation Band; composes and performs with the Michele Brangwen Dance Ensemble; and is considered one of the most unique and influential voices in modern jazz; it seems almost trite to declare him multi-faceted in genius, or multi-talented in musical ability. However, each singular endowment is woven into the joyous parlance of his free jazz, and diffused to every curled corner of the improvisational musical fabric arranged under this CD. Where turbulence, agitated free flight, and furious lunar howls (The Moon Is Waiting) take a respite; Hagans magically supplants all with striking tenderness, sensitivity and wild allurement (Get Outside; What I'll Tell Her Tonight). 

Drummer Jukkis Uotila

A palpable high point of "The Moon Is Waiting," materializes in the cauterizing indictment of the reaction of authority to the destruction of New Orleans during hurricane Katrina in 2005 (Wailing Trees). An acerbic expression of protest is mounted by Uotila's busy, energetic drums; Hagans' bitter, lamenting trumpet; Reid's doleful, funereal bass; and Juris' sad, repeating guitar chords, bombarding the movement through three phases of free emotions; splintering into anger, incredulity, and blind, unbelievable outrage; closing the circle of structures that allow for 'the wildest playing possible.'

There is one other assertion that Tim Hagans makes about his determination to explore "the edgy, the wild, the unpredictable, the unknown," Hagans maintains: "Nowadays that's subversive." If this is the case, listeners may need a prescription for "The Moon Is Waiting," or, as is advised in legal circles; 'caveat emptor.' 

Track Listing: Ornette's Waking Dream Of A Woman; The Moon Is Waiting; Get Outside; First Jazz; Boo; What I'll Tell Her Tonight; Wailing Trees; Things Happen In A Convertible. 

Recorded by Matt Balitsaris at Maggie's Farm
Mastered at AlgoRhythms by Michael MacDonald
Produced by Tim Hagans

http://www.palmetto-records.com/
http://www.timhagans.com/
   

CD Review: Larry Vuckovich - Somethin' Special

Year: 2011

Style: Jazz

Label: Tetrachord Music

Musicians: Larry Vuckovich - piano; Scott Hamilton - tenor saxophone; Noel Jewkes - tenor/soprano saxophone; Paul Keller - bass; Chuck McPherson - drums.

Pianist/composer Larry Vuckovich
Cover photo: Courtesy of musicstack.com

The moment Larry Vuckovich thought of the idea of producing a jazz CD, with a feeling "that resembles the soul and groove of the classic: Blue Note Sessions," he must have experienced one of those seminal time flashes when all the lights go on; everything becomes bright and blissful and lucid and calm. It must have been almost spiritual. Unfortunately, these instances are rare, and at times, fleeting. It takes conviction, ability, desire, and a strong belief in the inner self to reach in and pull a gem out of the swirling contents of the 'magician's hat.' Larry Vuckovich has certainly outdone himself, and pulled out a winner; a thoroughbred; a jazz music 'Secretariat:' "Somethin' Special."

Blue Note Sessions have historically embodied a high degree of technical excellence mixed with an unmistakable musical tone that was second to none, and brought to the listener a level of satisfaction that made collecting Blue Note Albums something approaching a cult activity. Musicians who recorded for Blue Note also seemed more "hip and cool' than you could put words to. One of the 'hippest' and 'coolest' had to be Dexter Keith Gordon, who once told Miles Davis, that he (Miles) dressed too square (Miles had a penchant for pin-striped suits), and that, he (Gordon) could not be seen with him. Jeez! 

Some of the jazz legends who recorded for Blue Note included, Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Jimmy Smith, Freddy Hubbard, Lee Morgan, Donald Byrd, Hank Mobley, Sonny Clark, Kenny Dorham, Kenny Burrell, Sonny Rollins and many, many more. Miles Davis (1952 & 1954) and Thelonious Monk (1947) also recorded for the Blue Note label.

On "Somethin' Special," Larry Vuckovich retrieves the song books of a handful of venerated 20th Century composers (Sonny Clark, Horace Silver, Tadd Dameron, Thelonious Monk, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Hoagy Carmichael), blows the dust off the covers, and re-interprets some of their best offerings with soul and spirit.



Tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton

 Unlike "Louie" in "Casablanca," Vuckovich dismisses 'rounding up the usual suspects,' and instead, entreaties a stellar cast of players to appear with him on the date: Saxophonists Scott Hamilton and Noel Jewkes, both steeped in the bebop tradition, and seasoned with classic styles stewed in the jazz cauldrons of  iconic tenors: Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster and John Coltrane. Combining the saxophone talents of Hamilton and Jewkes in the front line is simply a stroke of genius that becomes evident as the richness, warmth, and stability of their collective timbre burgeon from the musical palette.

Bassist Paul Keller, drummer Chuck McPherson and Vuckovich supply versatility, depth, and solid footing to the rhythm section. Keller easily straddles the world of jazz legends which includes, saxophonist/arranger/  composer Benny Golson, trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, clarinetist Buddy DeFranco, and that of contemporary heavyweights such as vocalists Diana Krall, Nnenna Freelon and guitarist Russell Malone. Chuck McPherson brings an abundance of versatility and dynamism to the band having worked with several funk, hip hop and gospel groups, in addition he has logged time with legendary trumpeters Freddy Hubbard, Doc Cheatham, Wynton Marsalis, saxophonist James Moody, pianist Tommy Flanagan and guitar great Kenny Burrell.

Larry Vuckovich...well, he is 'somethin' special.' His associations, past and presents, include stints with "Long Tall" Dexter Gordon, Miles Davis' favorite drummer, Philly Joe Jones, singer Mel Torme, saxophonist Don Byas, vibraphonists Kenneth "Red" Norvo and Bobby Hutcherson, vocalist/pianist/bass guitarist/clarinetist Bobby McFerrin, trumpeter Tom Harrell and more...

Tenor/Soprano saxophonist
Noel Jewkes

Trumpeter Art Farmer noted that a primary quality in pianist Sonny Clark's playing, was that "there was no strain in it." (Liner notes: Cool Struttin'/Sonny Clark). Clark, a contemporary of Thelonious Sphere Monk (they both hung out at jazz Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter's Weehawken, New Jersey mansion at the height of the bebop era) is one of Larry Vuckovich's favorite pianists, and he pays tribute to Clark by opening this CD with one of Clark's compositions, the title track, (Somethin' Special). The arrangement closely follows Clark's from his origianl 1961 album, "Leapin' and Lopin'" with Tommy Turrentine on trumpet, Charlie Rouse on tenor sax, Butch Warren on bass, Billy Higgins on drums, and Clark playing piano. The group swings it as Sonny Clark would have swung it; bluesy, melodic; "without strain;"  Scott Hamilton and Noel Jewkes' twin saxophones seem to add more tonal depth and soul than the original, making it richer with altoist Jewke's quote (among others), during his solo, of Rimski Korsakov's "Scheherazade;" encouraging  Hamilton's answers on tenor, with his quote from Bizet's "Carmen." Two master saxophonists in the middle of a creative arc, ascending like an arresting rainbow in a sky of deep 'blues' and other hues. Vukovich's piano reprises Sonny Clark's arresting, bluesy technique, while drummer Chuck McPherson rides his cymbals through innovative rhythmic patterns similar to those of Billy Higgins. 

Vuckovich admits that ideas of acknowledgement and revival of the tradition of jazz are always upper most in his mind and, in this light, Horace Silver's 1956 (Enchantment) comes under the spell of Noel Jewke's soulful, imaginative alto which beautifully sets the mood for the rapturously captivating tenor of Scott Hamilton, rooted firmly in the artistic idiom of Ben Webster and Lester Young, on the (seldom heard), Jack Lawrence/PeterTinturin/Irving Gordon standard (What Will I Tell My Heart), and an elegant Vuckovich piano solo leading away from Hamilton's tenor, evoking the lilting swing of Sonny Clark, the bouncing lyricism of Errol Garner, and Red Garland's unhurried, flowing block chords, all laced together with Larry's velvety, cat's paw treadings; a rich tapestry of sounds and styles leading right back to Hamilton's whispering sax.

Bassist Paul Keller

"Comin' Home Baby" will dispel any questions about whether the group can 'bring the jazz funk.' It was written by a bass player, Ben Tucker, and bassist Paul Keller swings in with a head-rockin' beat on the heels of an opening, pulsing, repeating pattern from Vuckovich's piano, that the horns and drums then turn into a hip, funky, soulful, 60's style, street-strutting, hip-swinger that has the 'feel' of a danceable Blue Note groove all through it.

Along with the appreciation of past jazz masters, and the crucial importance of respecting their prodigious output and artistic genius, this CD also thrives on the individual expression of its players. Expression that flows naturally, without coercion, and is absent of heated, noisy instrumental clashes, is its hallmark, giving rise to overwhelming, deep listening satisfaction. Larry Vuckovich's piano introduction and subsequent solo on Tadd Dameron's "Soultrane" supports Noel Jewkes's careful, relaxed, lyrical reading of the tune, each allowing the other adequate space for singular expression, and simultaneously imparting deep respect and feeling for the music. This formula is reprised on Antonio Carlos Jobim's "How Insensitive" with an insanely sensuous, and burnished tenor solo from Scott Hamilton that wrings all the sweet romantic emotion out of the lyric, and in which he sneaks a fine quote of Richard Carpenter's jazz classic "Walkin'."

No salute or nostalgic look back to bebop can be complete without an exploration of a Thelonious Monk composition; just as the feel and groove of Blue Note must at least include the influence and energy of tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon. Vuckovich stylishly accomplishes both; first, he pays tribute to Monk with a sensitive, thoughtful, tender, unaccompanied piano reading of the sophisticated "Pannonica." (Note: Pannonica is supposed to be the name given to a rare butterfly; but is the name of a rare moth): And then digs into Dexter Gordon's signature composition "Cheese Cake" which is given the full treatment by the band replete with all the Gordonian special trappings and main ingredients of pungent bebop, melodic phrasing, stylistic nuances, tantalizing quotes, (especially a tasty Hamilton slice of Brazilian Choro composer, Zequinha De abreu's 1917 "Tico Tico," and a snatch of  Richard Adler & Jerry Ross'"What ever Lola Wants"). Chuck McPherson tops it off with exquisitely hip drumming that supplies a deep rhythmic swing, reminiscent of the late bebop master, Maxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach. 

Drummer chuck McPherson

To honor a couple of special people who are important to "El Vuko" (Larry's San Francisco Bay Area a. k a.), he has included two of his original compositions on the CD: "Loving Linda," a slow tempo, beautiful tune played extremely tastefully on Noel Jewkes soprano saxophone, and a catchy, progressive-sounding number called "Zeljko's Blues", which he dedicated to an obviously, 'hip and cool,' jazz pal named Zeljko (Jel-ko) Kerleta, and played with an upbeat, swinging tempo in a trio setting . This tune is the "sleeper" on the CD.

Hoagy Carmichael's classic "Star Dust" played with soothing poignancy by Larry on solo piano, completes the frame of this classy CD, as a painter would put the intricate finishing touches on a masterpiece. A masterpiece for time immemorial to season, digest, and describe.

So, as Humphrey Bogart advised the hostages in the movie "High Sierra," "let's all sit back, relax, and listen to the music," or something similarly disarming, to fit the occasion. Bogart had a way of saying exactly what needed to be said in as few words as possible. "Somethin' Special" is just that way; no wasted phrases; no unnecessary notes; no cliches; just straight ahead jazz from the some of the best composing minds, ideas and pens to populate the jazz shrine; played by a quintet of exceptionally talented musicians in typical, exhilarating Blue Note Session form.

"Somethin' Special" might easily qualify as one of the tastiest jazz CD's of 2011.

Track Listing: Somethin' Special; Enchantment; What Will I Tell My Heart; Comin' Home Baby; Soultrane; How Insensitive; Pannonica; Cheesecake; Loving Linda; Zeljko's Blues; Star Dust.

Recording, Mixing, Mastering: Jeremy Goody
Sound Editing: Jeremy Goody, Larry Vuckovich.
Sound Engineer: Zach Strauss

Recorded at Megasonic Sound, Oakland, California.

CD Review: Chris Donnelly - Metamorphosis

Year: 2011

Style: Classical Piano

Label: Alma Records

Musician: Chris Donnelly - Piano

CD Review: With Metamorphosis, Canadian pianist Chris Donnelly - a musical prodigy, if ever there was one; having enrolled in Hunter College's Community Music School at 3; and by 10, already improvising and playing in ensembles -has undertaken a musical challenge that he finds uniquely exciting, but with substantial concomitant creative risk.

Pianist Chris Donnelly
Photo: Courtesy of  pwusk.powweb.com

Donnelly's Metamorphosis is based on a 1939 work of the same name by Dutch graphic artist Maurits Cornelis (MC) Escher. Escher was born in 1898 in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands. In 1918 he began studies of architecture and decorative arts; later he studied graphic and decorative arts. In 1921 he began to experiment with woodcuts of mirror images, crystal shapes and spheres. He then began to travel extensively throughout Italy and Spain becoming more involved in graphics and decorative arts and gaining more ideas. In 1937 he produced a woodcut called Metamorphosis, which showed a city block transformed into a little human figure. In 1939, he made Metamorphosis II to show a sequence of ten transformations, carving a motif of swimming fish onto a Beechwood sphere, completely covering the surface. Escher was intensely fond of this sculpture, and kept it with him the remainder of his life. He died in Laren, The Netherlands in 1972. 

This is the Metamorphosis that represents such a challenge and risk for pianist Chris Donnelly. The idea of writing music 'like a picture' that depicts a profound change, while maintaining a subtle balance between composition and improvisational structure.

But Donnelly in not without formidable weapons and telling resources in the face of this daunting embarkation. It turns out that he studied classical piano at the Royal Conservatory of Music, and as he reveals, "I was part of the first generation of jazz students and now professional musicians who started out with both a jazz and classical education." In addition, the influence of jazz icons Oscar Peterson, Keith Jarrett, and local 'heroes' Brian Dickinson and Kirk MacDonald is fused indelibly into his artistic broadcloth.

He crossed the threshold of the University of Toronto for six years of intense study, emerging with a Masters in Jazz Performance, and had conferred on himself in the bargain, the Tecumseh Sherman Rogers Graduating Award as the student "deemed to have the greatest potential to make an important contribution in the field of music." With these impressive accolades firmly in tow, he signaled his arrival on the jazz scene with stunning eclair in the form of his highly acclaimed, 2008 debut album, "Solo," garnering nominations for both Juno and National Jazz Awards.

In the wake of his jazz ascendancy, the layers of creative risk attendant to this new CD: Metamorphosis, begin to melt away revealing an opportunity for Donnelly to excel, as is his wont, in the classical music genre. He seems to draw clear-minded inspiration from Toronto's Poet Laureate, Pier Giorgio Di Cicco, who, recognizing the poetic effectiveness of Metamorphosis, has penned a ten line stanza, each of which Donnelly uses as a title for each of the ten movements of his 50-minute composition.

Donnelly's writing is clear and thoughtful with a cohesive narrative resulting from his harmonic plan, seamless transitions between sections, and his composing style. His pianism is silken and flawless, allowing the arc of the work to build gradually in intensity and excitement from a home place (You are the dancer) to a sustained high point (You hear the voice; In a blossom of water; Saying you are the azure), completing the frame, and returning to a home place with (You are the dance), preceded by (The bough of time). His approach is mature, sensitive, uncluttered, and aqueous in its limpid simplicity. It is refreshing, that he seems to eschew any conscious attempt to subdue the jazz idiom which is such an integral part of his musicianship, and in fact, allows subtle jazz references to imbue his work (You enter the fountain; In a blossom of water), as an especially mellifluous accent may refine a language.

This young jazz pianist and composer has had the courage to take on solo classical piano; in the process, attesting to his own 'artistic metamorphosis,' producing a spectacularly polished and proficient work, which underscores the realization that, "things are more related than we think they are." (Chris Donnelly)

Track Listing: You are the dancer; In the time-scape of sound; You enter the fountain; Cresting, falling away; In the chimera of notes; You hear the voice; In a blossom of water; Saying you are the azure; The bough of time; You are the dance.

Produced by Peter Cardinali

Recorded and mixed by John "Beetle" Bailey at The Drive Shed, Toronto.
Assisted by Mat Pataki.
Mastered by Peter J. Moore at The E Room, Toronto.

Composed and arranged by Chris Donnelly.
Published by Cardster Music Co.

CD Review: Rome In A Day - 5 After 4

Year: 2011

Style: Comtemporary Jazz

Label: Alma Records

Musicians: Johnny Johnson - saxophone; Matt Horner - piano, rhodes, organ; Peter Cardinali - bass, organ, horn arrangements; Vito Rezza - drums.

5 AFTER 4: Rome In A Day
CD cover photo:
Courtesy of opusonereview.com

CD review: The much extolled Toronto Jazz Combo, 5 AFTER 4, include in their sixth album all the ingredients for a ground-breaking, sizzling, vigorous, artistic success. It has the immediate appeal and biting musical grip of a gust of pristine arctic wind. Abundantly supplied with bold, freewheeling originals, it is  assured of freshness with  'one of a kind' spontaneity, "...guaranteed by the fact that 5 After 4 don't even rehearse the material." And as keyboardist Matt Horner adds, executed by musicians who,  "...live in the moment and catch the vibe." 

"Rome In A Day" consists of eleven original, diverse CD tracks, six composed by founder/drummer Vito Rezza, four by keyboardist Matt Horner, and one (Animal Crackers) credited to all the band members; in total signifying a close personal and professional relationship within the group that undoubtedly enhance and embellish the joy, excitement, exploration and growth of their music. This closeness can't help but be noticed in the wrapped cohesiveness of Vito Rezzo's drums and Peter Cardinali's bass (10,000 days; Balena).

The concept of 'Rome In A Day,' comes from an excitement-packed September day (12 hours walking), during which Peter Cardinali showed Rome to Vito Rezza (Rezza was born in Italy, but left as a child to live in Canada). This adds a double measure of excitement, suspense and wonderful mystery to be realized from the sights and sounds poured into this CD.

In September, Rome's Mediterranean climate is mild, warm, invigorating; the tourists are everywhere, all the shops and restaurants are open; and beautiful people move and talk with engaging energy, as captured with the brightly painted colors in the melody wafting from Johnny Johnson's sax (10,000 days; Balena).

Bassist Peter Cardinali

A brisk, exhilarating walk with Peter Cardinali's bass (Top Hat) takes in the Colosseum to marvel at this historic amphitheatre built by Roman Emperors Vespasian and Titus for a long-gone great civilization, and from somewhere in the mystical depths of its jagged structures and hypogeum, Mat Horner's pensive piano and Vito Rezza's soothing brush strokes (Lee's Mystery) beckon for a look at the monument to Vittorio Emanuel II and simultaneously invite a visit to The Castel Sant'Angelo.

The great Piazza della Republica is wide, grand, bright and reassuring as it unfolds from the clear horn of Johnny Johnson and Matt Horner's piano and organ (Mr. Govindas), opening the way for a visit to St. Peter's Basilica, The Trevi Fountain, and an aerial view of the city's Historic Center materializing like dreams coming true out of the unbelievable sense of harmony and exquisite melody heard in the compositions of Matt Horner (African Love Affair), and Vito Rezza (Rome In A Day).

Drummer Vito Rezza

Even though Vito Rezza left Italy when he was a child, he probably never forgot the food; the aromas; the taste. Exploring this aspect of the Italy's culture during the 12 hour walk with Peter Cardinali, must have been simply breathtaking, not to mention deeply enjoyable, taking him back to childhood on the simple, uncluttered strains of (And The Children Sing) as he sampled the fine Italian cuisine at Sicilianbocca on the Via Emilio Faa Di, known for its seafood specialties of Caponata and desserts of Cannoli; or at 'Gusto on the Piazza Augusto Imperatore; the terrace view would add to the pleasure of indulging in the fine art of eating great pizza.

Saxophonist Johnny Johnson

On the Via del Boschetto is the homely family-run restaurant, Il Posto Accanto, known for its fresh fruit, vegetables, ravioli and fish. Vito would hardly have remembered riso con fiori di zucca (risotto with courgette flowers), but Hostaria Costanza in the Piazza del Paradiso, has it as one of their main dishes.

Finally, to retread famous footsteps, there is the historic Gelateria Giolitti on Via degli Uffici del Vicario, where Gregory Peck took Audrey Hepburn in the 1953 movie "Roman Holiday" to satisfy her sweet tooth on their sorbets and creamy combinations. All of which were sure to make Vito Rezza exclaim loudly (Golly G).

Pianist Matt Horner

Vito is blessed with terrific friends and a great band. They have managed to produce a rich treasure trove of music that complements their profound talents as musicians/composers and is as diverse as the (The Changing of  Seasons). Cardinali has played with jazz greats like Joey DeFrancesco, Terry Lynne Carrington, Guido Basso and Phil Dwyer. Rezza has worked with Harmonica Virtuoso Toots Thielemans, Michael Brecker, Joey DeFrancesco, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, bassist Richard Bona, Rick James, Ray Charles, fellow Canadian piano master Oscar Peterson and others. Johnny Johnson has accompanied Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack, Dianne Reeves, plus Canadian stars Diana Krall, Holly Cole and Molly Johnson.

"Rome In A Day" by 5 AFTER 4, is not only conceptually rich, replete with music played by exceptionally talented artists, totally original in its compositions, and as diverse as two countries can be on different sides of the globe, but what is absolutely irresistible about this CD, was articulated eloquently by Vito Rezza, "It is more of a group record, with no special guests."  

Track Listing: 10,000 Days; Balena; Top Hat; Lee's Mystery; Mr. Govinas; African Love Affair; Rome In A Day; And The Children Sang; Golly G; Changing of Seasons; Animal Crackers.   

Recorded at the Bathouse in Bath, Ontario, Canada.
Engineered by Aaron Holmberg.
Additional Recording by John "Beetle" Bailey.
Digital Editing: Mat Pataki.
Mixed by John "Beetle" Bailey at the Drive Shed, Toronto.
Mastered by George Seara.
Design by Paul Sych, faith.ca

Produced by Peter Cardinali