Tom Kennedy, Just Play!

There are times, if you are like me, when you enjoy kicking back, forgetting for a moment what the "latest" new thing is, what is on the cutting-edge and just dig on some very grooving music. In the hard bop realm that is what you get on bassist Tom Kennedy's Just Play! (Capri 74122-2),

It's Kennedy walking and soloing with real force and soul, joined together with some swinging companions who can let loose and do. It's Tom with a formidable cast of Dave Weckl on drums, Renee Rosnes, piano, George Garzone on tenor, Mike Stern on guitar, Tim Hagens, trumpet, Lee Ritenour, guitar, John Allred, trombone, and Steve Wirts on tenor. You'll no doubt recognize most if not all of these names if you are into the contemporary jazz scene.

What this is about is one Mike Stern original and otherwise jazz classics done with lots of chutzpah. "Airegin", "In A Sentimental Mood", "In Your Own Sweet Way", things that still sound great when you play them well and then the solos kick off! When the big gathering of horns go at it the arrangements for them are right.

In short this is one you put on and dig into. It's primo hard-bopping done with things that came after taken in with the air. That's what the mainstream of today, if it has that thing, is all about.

So get this and you'll get right in there.

Alvin Queen and Some Significant Others

February 5, 2009—The world of freewheeling hard bop remains alive today. Sometimes the blazing hell-for-leather onslaught of the best moments can be missing from some of today’s sessions. That’s a pity.

However, the Alvin Queen CD on tap this morning has plenty of the intensity of the classic dates. Queen is a very good drummer who has played with all sorts of people and the CD Jammin' Uptown (Just A Memory) is graced by the presence of some of the very best on the contemporary scene. The now deceased John Hicks mans the piano, Terence Blanchard is on trumpet, Robin Eubanks on trombone, Ray Drummond on bass, and the under-heralded Manny Boyd is on reeds. This music was originally released in 1985 and has been reissued with bonus material.

What you get are nicely turned blowing vehicles and some very nice contributions from all at hand. If you like the classic Art Blakey Jazz Messengers line-ups this will certainly appeal to you. You might find yourself shouting “go” like you were sitting at a table in the Birdland club, 1955.

Pianist Adam Birnbaum: Substance and Swing

Originally posted on October 28, 2008

The mainstream represents a good portion of all jazz recordings released over the world in any given year. Of course not all of them are worthy of one’s attention. Some are watered down into a “smooth jazz” blend, some just do not represent talent worthy of notice.

Pianist Adam Birnbaum’s Travels (Smalls) has neither fault. It’s a trio date augmented on some cuts by alto-soprano sax newcomer Sharel Cassity. The disk has plenty of bite to back up the growl. Birnbaum can be energetic or gentle, and plays with a driving panache that his group reinforces. There’s a good program of originals and some unexpected twists, like an adaptation of a Robert Schumann song. The pleasurable listening quality of the set is not made possible by a loss of integrity. This is jazz with honesty and a dedication to substance and swing.

Hard Swinging Piano from Sacha Perry

Originally posted on April 21, 2008

Sacha Perry plays a hard swinging piano in the jazz lineage of what follows from Monk and Bud Powell. He’s joined by a powerful trio of Ari Roland on bass and Phil Stewart, drums, for a lively set released as The Third Time Around (Smalls).

Swing is most definitely the thing and they are indefatigable. Perry does not have the cache of some well-known pianists today, but he most certainly deserves greater recognition. Good music.