Todd Coolman & Trifecta, Collectables

When a bass player has virtually played everywhere and with everybody, there are good reasons for it. Todd Coolman is one of those bassists. He can fit in with everybody and does. But a solo album of his own is not all that common. In fact, what we have at hand is only his fourth, but no matter, because it in part makes up for what hasn't always been available.

He joins together with two exceptional musicians in a threesome he dubs "Trifecta." They gather together some really nice numbers and let it all breathe in the recent album Collectables (Sunnyside 4025). As Todd explains in the liners, he has amassed some collections over his life, things that have a telling sort of significance for him, be it books, fishing tackle or wrist watches. And he goes on to explain that he also collects playing experiences with fellow musicians of like mind. Collectables is by a trio of musicians that form a key part of some imaginary spatial totality but very real temporal-musical gatherings Todd has been a part of. A prize collectable element in all his group playing experiences, in other words.

Bill Cunliffe, pianist, Dennis Mackrel, drums, (and Todd), have been playing together for a while, principally as a part of the faculty of the Skidmore Jazz Institute that Todd now directs. They have had busy schedules there performing as a trio alone or backing up other stalwarts. So that is one definitely worthy collectable element on this album, the trio itself. The other is in the program of tunes. These are very worthwhile ones, some not often played these days, such as "New Rhumba" (associated with Miles and Gil Evans), "Joshua," the Victor Feldman perennial, and so forth. Some of these numbers are given special arrangements by Renee Rosnes, Bill Cunliffe, Dennis Mackrel; the others have gotten their form by the trio working it all out as they went. All have a special worked-through quality that a piano trio gets by playing together often--and so also the improvisational doings have that patina of use that makes them especially excellent examples.

Todd has plenty of chances both in ensemble and in solo to show just how fine a bass player he is. The same goes for Bill Cunliffe and Dennis Mackrel on their instruments. And the sound of them as a trio benefits from that distinctiveness but also by their irrefutably swinging wholeness.

It is the sort of trio outing that has all the jazz nuances down but also gets it all DOWN! It is a beautiful record indeed. There is nothing lacking. It is a full collection to be poured over and prized, dug and re-dug!  By all means go for this one if you want some superfine mainstream jazz as it should be played.

John Goldman's Quadrangle Dwell "Outside the Box"

John Goldman lives in Chicago (and I'll bet it's COLD there today) plays a pretty cool sounding alto, writes good jazz music and has an interesting group called Quadrangle. Their new album just came out this month, Outside the Box (JG Music).

The first thing that struck me about the band and their music is the rather unique sound they get out of their instrumentation. It's John on alto and flute, Kendall Moore on trombone, Leslie Beukelman on mostly wordless vocals, Scott Hesse at the guitar, plus Patrick Mulcahy, Cory Healey and Juan Pastor on bass, drums and percussion, respectively.

John makes good use of voicings for sax-trombone and sometimes vocals and guitar in various combinations for a full-bodied yet translucent melodic vehicle. Hesse's close voiced comping in a burnished zone also gives the group a special sound. The band runs through seven Goldman originals plus "Monk's Mood." In the process they cover many bases. Some numbers have the classic horn frontline sound of some of the classic Blue Note Shorter and Hancock charts, but with the guitar and/or voice in there it's something slightly different sounding. And he goes somewhere with the sound regardless. They do some loosely hip bossas, a funk number, a latin groove, a ballad and so forth. Goldman, Moore and Hesse play some very decent solos and do not waste notes. It's not a blowing session though, so there is a balance between group musical arrangement and individual solo. There are moments of freedom too.

It's all quite captivating and enjoyable jazz from the middle US. Mr. Goldman is to be congratulated for forging a sound and picking strongly individual musical-sound personalities to realize it. This music is a pleasure to hear.