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STAN
KESSLER
Jazz Meets
Chant: Jazz Adaptations of Gregorian
Chants
Standing Bear
By Butch Berman
Dig this only
in my slightly wacky and jazzy
world could an old Jewish hippie
like myself review another Hebrew
brother (in a Renaissance man sort
of way) on recording a CD of the jazz
interpretations of Gregorian chants, yet
the last time I saw this cat blow his
magnificent horn he was wearing a
straw hat and playing Dixieland
for the Topeka Jazz Festival
breakfast crowd. Yes, enter the
world of Mr. Stan Kessler and
marvel as I did of his new Standing
Bear release, "Jazz Meets Chant:
Jazz Adaptations of Gregorian
Chants."
I first met
Stan when with reed phenom Kim
Parks was added to Karrin Allyson's
spiffy homeboy all-star band to perform
at the now defunct Huey's. His on the
money techniques and superb frontline
work with Parks tore me up. His
expertise and brilliance on this
new work of art further
emphasizes the point.
This sacred
work, commissioned by John
Winkles who also chose the singers
along with the perfect acoustic yet inspirational
venue The Cathedral of the Immaculate
Conception laid down a
potentially impenetrable obstacle
for Stan, who completed this
project with perfection when
recorded in September of '99.
Backed by KC's
top notch vets consisting of
tenor man Doug Talley, keyboardist
Wayne Hawkins, first -call drummer Todd
Strait, and a bass player new to me, Bill
McKemy, Kessler came to the
forefront and delivered a variety
of jazz melodies and time
signatures to augment an amazing
interwoven musical quilt of the
original chants. Then, this talented
band's clever jazzy takes on each occasionally
light hearted, but always reverent
solidified it all.
The "Dies Irae
(Shuffle)" showcases the rhythm
section's bluesy abilities that
equal any current blues band on
the scene. Soloists Kessler, Talley,
and Hawkins soar to great heights throughout
this entire CD.
A major
accomplishment done first class
all the way. "Jazz Meets Chant"
equals another successful creative outing
for the boys, and another great CD for
your collection. I'll pray for you to
grab this gem.
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BOB KINDRED WITH LARRY WILLIS
Gentle Giant of the Tenor Sax
Mapleshade Records
By Butch Berman
Considering deadlines,
etc., I pretty much had my current faves
to present to you all, when in the mail
today came "Gentle Giant of the Tenor Sax,"
featuring Bob Kindred with Larry Willis. Just
the vague thought of these two musical monsters
collaborating on a project gave me premature chills
and goose bumps. Two of the heaviest, deepest cats
in the biz, whose chops and soulfulness
combine to produce jazz so sublime and
rich with a gritty tenderness that
transcends you, the listener, into grooveland.
Mapleshade has a lot to
be proud of in this new release. Kindred
whose lush lyrical style and eclectic
choice of material all come off with pizzazz.
I've seen Bob's extremely lurid rendition of Billy
Strayhorn's "Blood Count" practically bring the
audience to its knees with his mournful, exquisite
tone and delivery.
Willis, a master of
many jazz forms, accompanies Kindred like
they have been playing together since childhood.
Tight, playful, and seductive. I'll be listening
to this for a few days before returning it to my
collection. Each repeated spin takes me to different
places. A truly moving
experience.
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ANTHONY WILSON
TRIO
Our Gang
Groove Note Records
By Bill Wimmer
Anthony Wilson's latest
release, "Our Gang," on Groove Note
Records, really focuses this fine guitarists
playing talents with a dynamite organ trio on one
of the biggest surprise releases of the last year.
Wilson is best known
for his excellent Nonet records that
featured a range of great soloists and Wilson's
fine writing and arranging more than his guitar
playing. He steps out on this one and helps redefine
the possibilities of the organ trio with Joe
Bagg on Hammond B-3 and drummer Mark
Ferber, both of which appeared on Wilson's
last larger ensemble recording. To be
honest, I begged Butch Berman to listen to
and let me review this one, and he liked it more
and more as each new number played and quickly
approved of my wish.
This one really sneaks
up on you from the start with the title
track intro, with some of the most subtle
use of the organ I've ever encountered.
"Our Gang" is an
intriguing melody with a logical hook that
will stay with you for a long time. Bagg and
Ferber lay down the light Latin beat and react
to every nuance of the song and to each other.
Bagg gets a particularly warm sound on this one
and solos with great taste, able to pop off the
occasional hot lick, but more likely to
pull juicy, choice notes that are plucked
out of the air and an uncanny use of
space.
"Chitlin's
Con Carne" is an old Kenny Burrell blues tune that
lets every member of the group lay into a
funky groove. This track also focuses
attention on the clarity and presence of
this recording itself, which employs the
Sony Direct Stream Digital System. When
Ferber plays it heavy with his insistent snare
rhythm you begin to feel like you're sitting right
next to that snare drum, and after a while you
might feel almost like you're inside the snare
drum. The whole record sounds incredible thanks
to engineer Michael C. Ross. "Britta's Blues"
is a slow, loping blues waltz and the next
tune, "Time Flies," shows these guys
really can fly when they choose.
Ferber, who's studied
with Billy Higgins, has a lot of freedom
and the ability to swing really hard
without ever overplaying. "Road Trip," a Bagg
original has funky overtones that shift from blues
to a climbing, arching bridge that seems to imply
the stress of that road journey.
Wilson opens up "Luck
Be A Lady" alone with a pretty statement
that segues into a lively 3/4 version of
this old Broadway warhorse. With all of
its changes and one section arranged in
straight ahead swing, this one would do
Frank Sinatra proud (he sang it in the movie).
"I Want You (She's So
Heavy") is yes, the same song from The
Beatles' "Abbey Road,: is given a new
sense of urgency and swing from the trio's virtuosity.
The guitar and organ play hot and cool off of
each other and the trio's heightened sense of
dynamics again come into play. A beautiful reading
of Ellington's "Prelude to a Kiss" follows.
Wilson's singing tone, Bagg's sensitive
support and Ferber's deft brushwork all
keep this one another keeper.
I would highly
recommend this record to anyone who likes
jazz organ.
I think it stands
strong enough on its own merit for anyone
who enjoys nice, swinging jazz and I think
it is one of the best sounding recordings
I've bought in a long time. Just be
forewarned, because this band is not out of the
Jimmy Smith or the funky school of organ groups
he's spawned over the years. These guys are capable
of a lot more diverse and subtle colors more in
the Larry Goldings or Sam Yahel mode, and I
think you will enjoy the change of pace.
This record bears repeated listening and
will please with its surprises, and it is
a job well done on the music and in the
recording booth.
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THE RUSS LONG
TRIO
Never Let Me Go
Passit Productions
By Tom Ineck
It's hard to imagine a
more satisfying blend of attributes than
those on "Never Let Me Go," the generous
16-track release by Kansas City stalwarts Russ
Long on piano, Gerald Spaits on bass and Ray DeMarchi
on drums, the same veteran trio that will grace
the stage of P.O. Pears Feb. 28 in
Lincoln.
If the trio's
performance Dec. 4 at the Phoenix Bar and
Grill in Kansas City is any indication and
it is listeners are in for a treat. But whether
or not you make it to the Lincoln gig, give this
CD a listen.
Long, Spaits and
DeMarchi have a swinging, clockwork
compatibility, and Long is gifted with a sure
sense of dynamics in his playing and in his programming.
This CD is a good example, progressing from the
too-rarely-heard Rodgers and Hammerstein
tune "We Kiss In a Shadow" to the bluesy
Long original "Can City," a slangy
contraction of his home town name. Long
applies is warm, relaxed and supple voice to
his own masterpiece, "Save That Time," which already
has been covered by Karrin Allyson, Kevin Mahogany
and Joe Williams.
He returns to the blues
on "It Was a Dream," a quirky tune that
betrays Long's Southern twang. "Fascinatin'
Rhythm" moves things uptempo, where all three musicians
are confident and comfortable.
Long sings the title
track with heartfelt emotion and a whiskey
tone, then returns to the Gershwin
songbook for a Gerald Spaits feature on "The
Man I Love."
Long breezily vocalizes
again on Cole Porter's "All of You,"
playfully playing a unison passage that
matches his voice to the piano. "Bebedo,"
a Long original, has an odd, Monkish quality in
its construction. "Whatever Happened to You" is
another wonderful choice for Long's casual vocal
approach and wit. "Meatloaf" is another knockoff
of the "I Got Rhythm" changes, one that Long
penned back in 1959.
"Wildest Gal in Town"
is another highlight, a story-song
lovingly told by Long on piano and vocal.
"Surrey With the Fringe on Top" gallops along
with joyous abandon, resting only for an inventive
bass solo by Spaits and a lesson in percussion
from DeMarchi.
"Opus in Chartreuse" is
an elegant instrumental, followed by the
greasy blues of "Kidney Stew." The slow,
bluesy "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere" is the
perfect nightcap to a perfect set of tunes.
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DOUG TALLEY
QUARTET
Kansas City Suite
Serpentine Records
On their ambitious new project, Kansas City saxophonist
Doug Talley and band mates Wayne Hawkins on
piano, Tim Brewer on bass and Keith
Kavanaugh on drums take the listener on an
historic tour of the Midwest "City of
Fountains."
Recorded live last year
at Valley View United Methodist Church in
Overland Park, Kan., "Kansas City
Suite" captures this original music in the immediacy
of the moment, complete with appreciative applause
from the audience.
Kansas City, of course,
had a profound influence on jazz history.
Under the control of corrupt mayor and
political boss Tom Pendergast, it was one
of the original hotbeds of swing music throughout
the 1920s and 1930s. Talley primarily pays tribute
to that fabulous era and some of its most prominent
artists.
"Kansas City
Suite" begins with a geography lesson called
"1600 E. 18th St.," where the Blue Room jazz club
now occupies the famous corner of 18th and Vine.
Talley bops along on alto sax in the style of Charlie
"Bird" Parker, who got his start as a teenager
playing in the area's clubs.
"City of Fountains" has
a more pastoral mood, like a stroll
through one of Kansas City's many parks on
a warm, sunny afternoon. Hawkins delivers
a soul-stirring piano solo. The beautiful ballad
"The Sleeping Child" refers to one of the many
sculptures in the Country Club Plaza, while the
frantic-paced "The Buck Stops Here," refers to
the famous pledge by Harry S. Truman, a native
Missourian still revered in Kansas City.
Along the way we also
taste the city's legendary barbecue on
"Stockyard Blues (KC Strip)" and stop into
another imaginary club of long ago to listen
to "Basie and Prez." We view controversial artworks
at Bartle Hall on "Sky Stations" and at the Nelson-Atkins
Gallery of Art on "Shuttlecocks
(Badminton, Anyone?)." We visit the
illuminated Country Club area during the Christmas
holiday for "Plaza Lights (Plaza Nights)."
Finally, with
"Pendergast," we are reminded again of how
the city became a mecca for jazz. Talley,
Hawkins, Brewer and Kavanaugh work well
together. They also are superb tour guides,
making "Kansas City Suite" a pleasant outing.
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GEORGE CABLES
Shared Secrets
MuzeFX Records
By Tom Ineck
Pianist George Cables himself is a
"Shared Secret," of sorts. Too
infrequently recorded on a major label, Cables
is a master musician and composer deserving of
much wider recognition. In the 1990s, he recorded
primarily for SteepleChase Records, a Swedish label
with erratic distribution in the United States.
This 10-track, hour-long collection of
Cables originals does a lot to correct the
lack of domestically released recorded
material.
"Shared Secrets"
is an sprightly and funky fusion project
with a world-class ensemble featuring Bennie
Maupin on bass clarinet, Ralf Rickert on trumpet,
Gary Bartz and Larry Klimas on saxophones and
flute, Abraham Laboriel and Alphonso Johnson bass,
Peter Erskine and Vinnie Coliauta on drums and
Luis Conte and Pat Murphy on percussion.
In these capable hands, the playing is
never less than accomplished and the
improvised passages are always imaginative.
Cables recorded several
of these tunes during his tenure with
SteepleChase, including "Blackfoot,"
"Beyond Forever," "Phantom of the City" and "Why
Not?" Infectious Latin rhythms assert their magic
spell on "5 Will Get Ya 10" and "S.F.C.B."
The only tune not
composed by Cables is the closer, the
traditional spiritual "Go Down Moses," here
given a funky rendition with Cables on acoustic
and electric piano and emulator synthesizer. Gary
Bartz plays the soulful lead on alto sax.
To my ears, Cables is
best appreciated in a trio setting where
the listener can bask in the full heat and
glory of his piano playing. I recommend
"By George," a 1987 tribute to the music
of George Gershwin with bassist John Heard
and drummer Ralph Penland.
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THE BEAT DADDYS
Delta Vision
Waldoxy Records
By Rich Hoover
The beat daddys
continue to keep it up for southern
blues/rock fans. This latest release covers the
Delta styles from folksy to sweet ballads, swing,
jump, R&B, and raucous rock.
A dozen of the 13 tunes
are written by Larry Grisham, the vocalist
and harmonica player of the band, and his
lyrics are top notch and cover as wide a
range as the musical arrangements.
There are a couple of
guest artists as well; Bob Greenlee plays
bass and acoustic guitar on a tune from
his own pen titled "Ten pounds of Love,"
which has bluesman, Sonny Rhodes doin' the vocals.
The rest of the boys in
the band are: Britt Meacham, guitars,
percussion; Johnny Neel, keyboards,
percussion; Ronnie "Byrd" Foster, drums.
From checking out the beat daddy's web page,
I find that these are growing middle-age musician
/ friends who enjoy what they are doing and want
to do some more. Watch for them in your area.
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JOE "GUITAR" HUGHES
Stuff Like That
Blues Express Inc.
By Rich Hoover
There's some great
Texas blues on this live performance by
Joe "Guitar" Hughes recorded in San Francisco.
There are well placed horns scattered throughout
the CD with the occasional horn lead, and the remainder
of the band are all excellent musicians with
solid rhythm tempos, impeccable placement
of accents including inspirational lifts
from each and every one.
However, there is no
doubt that Joe Hughes is the bluesman at
the front of the group. His last fifty years
in the blues biz internationally have allowed Hughes
to become the master of the blues show. He became
so popular he had to stay closer to home to be
with his wife and three kids.
He originally worked in
several regional bands to the great
enjoyment of all those south Texas fans.
In the mid-80s Joe went back on tour and has
since made eight recordings and two documentaries,
one about Joe and Pete Mayes entitled "Battle of
the Guitars" and another about the hot
entertainment area of Houston that Joe was
influential in creating titled "Third
Ward Blues."
There are 11 tunes, all
written by Hughes, and an interview with
him on the CD. The band members
are:
Bobby Murray, guitar;
Leonard Gill, bass; Tim Brockett, organ;
Dave Mathews, keyboards; Tony Coleman,
drums; George Brooks, saxophone; Mic
Gillette, trombone; and, Marvin McFadden,
trumpet.
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