In this era of one beautiful jazz label after another going belly up, it's rewarding to see the steady progress of Cellar Live. Based in Vancouver, B.C., Cellar Live has showcased young players totally dedicated to the revered tradition of straight ahead jazz. On this perfectly delightful session we become acquainted with P J Perry, a deep in the shed alto sax man. His rhythm section is headed by Jon Mayer, a longtime contributor to the Classic Piano Series here in PDX. The rhythm section is completed by Steve Wallace, bass; and Quincy Davis, drums. Recorded live at Edmonton, Alberta's Yardbird Suite, Perry and friends are flawless on jazz favorites "Stablemates", "Two Bass Hit" and "Quasimodo". Standards include "We'll Be Together Again" and "Summer Night". The latter tune is incidentally mistakenly listed as "Close Your Eyes"! One might note that the first three notes of both are precisely the same. On all these and more, P J Perry makes it clear that he's ready for us to sit up and take notice.
Cellar Live; 2017; appx. 62 min.