George's Briefs January 2019

Friends On The Moon; Dan Adler, guitar

The ten tunes played by the Dan Adler quartet are all originals by either Adler or his bass player, Arnon Palty. For the most part they sound like they're based on the changes to classic jazz tunes. It's all very well played, with juicy, straight solo work, and consistently fine musicianship. Kudos also for pianist Donald Vega and drummer Byron Landham, both of whom add class and pizzazz to the proceedings.

Self-produced; 2018; times not indicated.

Standard Deviations; Tobin Mueller, piano, organ, synths

Deviations indeed. These guys have taken twenty-four perfectly good classics of the American Songbook and put them in an electronic smooth jazz blender. This in my view is disrespectful to the likes of "St. Louis Blues", "Moanin'", "Blue Monk", and even "Stardust" and "Moon River" (to name a few). If one young person comes away thinking that this travesty is the way these songs are supposed to sound, then an unfortunate service has been done to jazz.

No label name found; probably 2018; 2 CD's; no times indicated.

The Monk; Live At Bimhuis; Metropole Orkest Big Band; arranged and conducted by Miho Hazama

Thelonious Monk's miraculous music actually lends itself to widely varying interpretations, but it's rare to hear it in a big band setting. The Netherlands' Metropole Orkest, a longtime contender for high honors, keeps it all T. Monk on seven of his classics including "Ruby My Dear", "Hackensack", "Epistrophy", and more. Stunning musicianship and searing solos all add up to a formidable recording. Monk Lives!

Sunnyside; 2018; appx. 50 min.

Spotlight On Jazz; Simone Kopmajer, vocals

This sprightly young singer proves to be an excellent songwriter as well. She writes tunes that swing and are well structured. They sound like songs from the great era of the '30's and '40's. She also includes timeless items like "Pennies From Heaven", "Poinciana", "Exactly Like You", and more. Accompaniment, led by the full bodied tenor of Terry Myers, is perfectly suited to the upbeat, lively vocals.

Lucky Mojo Records; 2018; appx. 60 min.

Exactly Like You; Alyssa Allgood

Okay, let's get the obvious pun out of the way right now. This hip jazz singer is, you guessed it---ALLGOOD. On a program of mostly standards like "The More I See You", "Alone Together", "Darn That Dream", "Yardbird Suite" and more, Alyssa Allgood expresses the essence of jazz singing. Her accompanists are spot on. I'd love to hear her with a pianist in charge as opposed to the very competent B-3 organist heard here.

Cellar Music; 2018; appx. 50 min.

"Dave McKenna In Madison"

If you've ever witnessed ocean waves in their relentless pursuit of the shore, you might find a comparison in the piano marvel known as Dave McKenna, especially in his left hand where those never ending "waves" just keep rolling in. Thanks to Arbors Records who somehow found this well recorded live solo concert by the late piano phenom, we are privileged to hear Dave McKenna's unique magic one more time in this previously unreleased gem. A peerless melody player who knew a "zillion" tunes, McKenna loved to play medleys of long admired standards. On this disc, he gives us a few of them including one on Vernon Duke tunes like "Autumn In New York", "April In Paris", "I Can't Get Started", "What Is There To Stay", and "I Like The Likes Of You". Or how about another medley centered around tunes dealing with "time". Hence we have "Time On My Hands", "Bidin' My Time", "Some Other Time", and "Time After Time". Other highlights include non-medley entries like "Exactly Like You", "Detour Ahead", "Too Marvelous For Words", and a certified romp on the bop staple "Crazeology". Mc Kenna was an immediately recognizable treasure of the American Songbook. Hearing him once again in this delightful concert setting is something akin to a rich dessert!

Arbors Records; 2018; appx. 63 min.

George's Briefs: David Caffey Jazz Orchestra "All In One"

This Colorado based aggregation brings us eight David Caffey originals loaded with superb solo work and invigorating arrangements. The sound draws from bands as disparate as Rob McConnell (fun, spirited, cooking) to Thad Jones-Mel Lewis (challenging charts, a sense of daring, versatility). The tunes have distinct melody lines, and believe it or not, sound like real "songs"! Imagine that! This sort of band is becoming rare, but thanks to people like David Caffey for staying with his muse.

Artist Alliance Records; 2018; appx. 65 min. 

George's Briefs: Jim Porcella "Dream Dancing With You"

Here's a hip singer who phrases, scats, sings spot-on-key and chooses great material. In addition to that he welcomes to this session such heavyweights as Mike Renzi, piano; Harry Allen, tenor sax; Bob Cranshaw, bass, and Buddy Williams, drums. Porcella is impressive on "Dream Dancing", "It Don't Mean A Thing", "My Romance", "Here's To Life", "I Remember You", and more. He's got the chops and the feelings. Give him a shot!

Self-produced; 2018; times not indicated.

Petra van Nuis "Because We're Night People"

I'm almost always? affected and sometimes amazed by certain characteristics of some singers. First of all, let's look at the songs of choice. If a few "unlikelies" or delicious obscurities make the list, I have to look more closely. Petra van Nuis has underground items like "Night People", a tune I associate with June Christy. Or how about "The Piano Player (A Thousand And One Saloons)", a gem from singer-pianist Meredith d'Ambrosio. Or consider a delight from Bob Dorough, "Small Day Tomorrow". And while we're at it, there's the intro, rarely sung, to "Street Of Dreams" (which was new to me!). And hats off for "Moonlight Savings Time", a nearly forgotten day brightener that I seem to recall from Billie Holiday. And most importantly, like Lady Day, Blossom Dearie, Lynne Jackson and very few others, Petra conveys the meaning of a lyric in a very direct manner. Other songs in this intimate, live performance include "Dreamsville", "No Moon At All", "The Night We Called It A Day", and "Black Coffee". The accompaniment is limited to the solo piano of Dennis Luxion, who is subtle and a picture of perfection. This is one of those rare recordings that just grabs you and holds on until the last note. Petra van Nuis is a singer who gets it and puts it across to the listener. I hope to hear more from Petra and would suggest this to her: don't change a thing.

String Damper Records; 2018; appx. 59 min.

Alexander Claffy "Standards: What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?"

Think about it. In an age where jazz musicians are largely insistent on sharing their original music with the world (and that's perfectly okay), it's something of a rarity to see an entire album of standards. But here they are, under the leadership of bassist Alexander Claffy and with some top of the mountain talent along for the ride. Among others, David Kikoski on piano, Kurt Rosenwinkel on guitar and, guesting on a few tracks, Joel Frahm on tenor sax. The standards chosen for this session cover several decades of writing, and include music from Cole Porter to Wayne Shorter; from Michel Legrand to Duke Pearson, and from McCoy Tyner to John Lennon. The arrangements, not too surprisingly, are quite contemporary and occasionally a bit adventurous for me. Be that as it may, "Blues In The Closet", Devil's Island", "Just One Of Those Things", "You Must Believe In Spring", etc., are classics, and can sustain an examination from the outside in.

SMK Jazz; 2018; appx. 66 min.

Denny Zeitlin "Wishing On The Moon"

He's been an active and creative contributor to the jazz art for the better part of sixty years, yet Denny Zeitlin sounds as fresh and refreshing as he did back on Columbia in '58 or '59. Today he records now and then for New York's Sunnyside label, and this session catches him in a live performance at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola. His workmates are the formidable jazz vets Buster Williams on bass and Matt Wilson on drums. Their menu of tunes includes an eleven minute examination of all the possibilities present in Cole Porter's "All Of You"; a dreamy original title tune, "Wishing On The Moon"; Jule Styne's rarely heard "As Long As There's Music"; and even a scamper through, of all things, "Put Your Little Foot Right Out". On these and a few more originals, Zeitlin's piano magic is front and center. If by some quirk you've never heard of him, consider this an assignment!

Sunnyside Communications; 2018; appx. 60 min.