Tom Rizzo: Day and Night

Origin Records
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Day and Night

This album is proof-positive of several things:

• Tasty, swinging jazz is alive and well in the Los Angeles/greater West Coast region;

• The artists from that neck of the woods continue to demonstrate that they’re among the best who share the love for this genre; and

• Origin continues to be one of the top distributors that satisfies the souls of true jazz fans.

Guitarist Tom Rizzo produced this release, and his performance truly stands out. He has been heard by millions, due to his membership in several of the bands that have been key to television’s Tonight Show. His basic quartet — pianist Dennis Hamm, bassist David Hughes, and drummer Steve Schaeffer — is the core of the tentet (the “little big band”) that makes this album groove.

Trombonist Dick Lane did all the arrangements; the rest of the brass section includes Bob Summers (trumpet), John Dickson (French horn) and Doug Tornquist (tuba). The reed section features Bob Sheppard (tenor sax) and Jeff Driskill (soprano sax).

The menu is a nice blend of standards and originals: Cole Porter’s “So in Love,” Vincent Youmans’ “Without a Song” and Henry Mancini’s “Moon River,” along with up-to-date melodies such as Wayne Shorter’s “Infant Eyes,” Peter Bernstein’s “Little Green Men,” Ornette Coleman’s “Law Years” and Stevie Wonder’s “Living for the City.” And if those aren’t enough, we also re-visit “School Days” and “Lonesome Cowboy,” as interpreted by Rizzo.

This a genuinely pleasant jazz journey: danceable, listenable and quite swingable. Bring it home.

Patrick Williams: Home Suite Home

BFM Jazz
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Home Suite Home

Who gets the credit for a great jazz album? It’s usually the performing artist(s), and that almost always means an instrumentalist or vocalist. Well, that isn’t the case here; all the credit belongs to Patrick Williams. He composed and arranged the music; he selected the instrumentalists and vocalists; and he was the driving force behind it all.

Williams may not be a household name among jazz fans, but recording artists and producers certainly know and appreciate him. He has written the music for more than 65 feature films, 100 television films and 25 television series. He has won four Emmys and two Grammys — out of 19 nominations — and he was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, for his orchestral work An American Concerto.

Needless to say, he had his pick of the 18 instrumentalists and three vocalists who participated on this album. Every serious jazz fan will recognize all of them, starting with vocalists Patti Austin, Tierney Sutton and Frank Sinatra Jr. The instrumentalists include pianist Dave Grusin, drummer Peter Erskine, trumpeter Arturo Sandavol, trombonist Bob McChesny, and saxists Bob Sheppard and Tom Scott.

The true “stars,” however, are the eight tracks composed and arranged by Williams. Four are tributes to members of his family: children Elizabeth, Greer and Patrick B., and his wife of 53 years, Katherine. The rest relate to musicians Williams reveres: “A Hefti Dose of Basie,” for composer/arranger Neal Hefti and Count Basie; “That’s Rich” (drummer Buddy Rich); “I’ve Been Around” (Frank Sinatra), sung by Frank Sinatra Jr. and Tierney Sutton; and “52nd & Broadway,” sung by Patti Austin.

The arrangement voicings are second to none; the interplay between the brass, reed and rhythm sections is to die for. And the result swings like crazy; I’ve never heard better!

The descriptor genius gets overused, but no other adjective applies to Williams, for what he has created here.  You’ll never tire of listening to what he hath wrought.

Michael Dees: The Dream I Dreamed

Jazzed Media
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: The Dream I Dreamed

I’ve not reviewed a male vocalist for quite some time, but then ages have passed since coming across one as good as Michael Dees. That’s actually a shame, because he has been around for years; Dees is a “stealth” singer with a quite lengthy résumé, but he simply isn’t well known to the public.

Which doesn’t mean that you’ve not been exposed to him, although likely without being aware of it. Dees had a long career as a studio singer. Back in the 1960s, he appeared on TV’s Steve Allen Show; he recorded an album of his own music; he soundtrack work in numerous films, including the TV movies The Rat Pack and The Mystery of Natalie Wood, along with hundreds of commercials and jingles. For the most part, though, he was singing “other people’s songs.”

This release features his own stuff, both lyrics and music. And it’s excellent.

It may be a bit of a stretch to identify Dees as a jazz singer, but if icons such as Frank Sinatra are so classified, then so be it. Dees’ voice is gentle, warm and smooth, and his interpretation is sincere. He means every line he sings, and his inflections and timing are both jazz-related; whether the style is balladic or up-tempo, he swings.

He also recognizes the value of being backed by excellent musicians. The combo that supports him here features pianist Terry Trotter, bassist Chuck Berghofer and drummer Steve Schaeffer, along with Steve Huffsteter and Sal Marquez on trumpet and flugelhorn, Bob Sheppard and Doug Webb on woodwinds, and Don Williams on percussion. The group is truly jazz oriented, and the arrangements of Dees’ 14 tracks give them plenty of room to demonstrates their prowess.

Most of the songs are love-themed ballads; they come across as a possible biographical history of the singer’s life. The “stories” they tell require clear and understandable lyrics, and Dees certainly provides that.

As an “elder citizen” — Dees is in his 70s — he’s on par with the best singers past and present.

Joanne Tatham: Out of My Dreams

Cafe Pacific Records
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Out of My Dreams

Months have passed since I’ve been able to review a truly excellent female vocalist, and even longer since I found somebody backed up by equally excellent musicians. Well, today’s the day.

Joanne Tatham is the main attraction, and she’s supported by primo artists such as pianists Tamir Hendelmen and Jamieson Trotter; bassists John Clayton and Lyman Medeiros; guitarist Marcel Carmargo; saxman Bob Sheppard; and drummers Peter Erskine and Mike Shapiro. The combo sizes, depending on the track, range from simply the guitarist to trios and quartets.

Tatham is new to me, but not to New York or Los Angeles; this is her third album. She began her career as a Broadway musical comedy performer, then moved to L.A. Her voice is simultaneously lush and swinging; every note is precisely on key, and her transitions from one note to the next are soft and swinging. 

As one example, in the opening chorus of “You Taught My Heart to Swing,” she joins the instrumental line so perfectly that it takes several seconds to realize her voice is part of the phrasing. And wow, what a voice!

I’m also impressed by Tatham’s set list. These aren’t tunes commonly associated with the Great American Songbook, but much of them still sounds familiar ... not surprising, considering her Broadway background.

Example include Harry Nilsson’s “Without Him (Her)”; Bob Dorough’s “Devil May Care”; Herbie Hancock’s “Tell Me a Bedtime Story,” also heard on TV’s “Fat Albert”; the jazz standard “Detour Ahead”; “Cool,” from “West Side Story”; and the title tune, from the musical “Oklahoma!” They’re all marvelous.

This is a stunning album. I’m eager for more, and I hope that Tatham will be blessed once again with a similarly talented cadre of musicians.

Kikoski, Carpenter, Novak and Sheppard: From the Hip

BFM Jazz
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: From the Hip

This quartet features artists who aren’t household names to the general public, but are quite well known in the jazz world. 

All have played in numerous name groups during their careers, and all have quite lengthy discographies. Pianist David Kikoski, a Berklee College of Music grad, was a member of the Woody Herman Alumni Band, and Charles Mingus’ Big Band and Orchestra; he also worked with Chick Corea, both Brecker brothers and numerous other familiar artists. Bassist Dave Carpenter spent time with Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, Maynard Ferguson and many others. Saxophonist Bob Sheppard has shared a stage with Herbie Hancock, Joni Mitchell and Stevie Wonder; drummer Gary Novak’s sessions have been headed by the likes of Corea, George Benson and Lee Rittenour.

As would be expected from four musicians with such varied experience, the result is primo jazz. This album was recorded in front of a relatively small studio audience in 2006. (The lengthy period from studio to public release isn’t uncommon.) There was no rehearsal, merely the desire to create something that each artist “felt like doing at the moment.” Five of these nine tracks are beloved standards: “Star Eyes,” “My One and Only Love,” “How Deep Is the Ocean,” “If You Could See Me Now” and “Autumn Leaves.” The others hail from less familiar jazz charts: Coltrane’s “Mr. P.C.,” Corea’s “Tones for Joan’s Bones,” Cedar Walton’s “Bolivia” and Toninho Horta’s “From Ton to Tom.”

The performances utilize meters ranging from ballad to mid- and up-tempos; the common thread is that everything swings nicely, and the rhythm section is particularly tight.

It should be noted that, shortly after this session, Carpenter suffered a fatal heart attack. He’ll be missed. 

As often is the case with artists of this caliber, even though the music is familiar, their interpretation of each song makes everything new again. As I’ve noted previously, I’d love to have a group like this close enough to home, in order to enjoy them regularly ... and in person.

Joe La Barbera Quintet: Silver Streams

Jazz Compass
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Silver Streams

During the years I’ve reviewed jazz releases, I’ve noticed that certain individuals often contribute to the albums I enjoy the most. Such players generally appear individually, as one of the sidemen in a group fronted by different leaders, but sometimes they'll perform together. Such is the case in this album: The “leader” is drummer Joe La Barbara, supported by bassist Tom Warrington, pianist Bill Cunliffe, trumpeter Clay Jenkins and reed master Bob Sheppard.

These artists have much in common: All obtained college degrees from schools famous for the jazz artists they have graduated; all are teachers who play jazz as a sideline; all compose and arrange; and all have extensive experience with famous "name" combos and orchestras (many were with these groups at the same time).

Jenkins has appeared with Stan Kenton, Buddy Rich, Harry James and Count Basie; Sheppard with Rich, Bob Florence and Chick Corea; Cunliffe with numerous artists, and with several of his own orchestras; Warrington with Rich, Florence, Peggy Lee and Freddie Hubbard; and La Barbara with Rich, Bill Evans and many, many others.

On top of which, these five musicians are all close friends, and they play together brilliantly. 

Two of the eight tracks were contributed by Cunliffe ("Afluencia" and "Silver Streams") and one  by La Barbara ("Monkey Tree"). The late Scott LaFaro, who played bass with Bill Evans for years, contributed "Jade Visions." The rest are standards by other jazz composers, and the common denominator is swing: They all groove wonderfully.

This is what results when a handful of great artists — who enjoy each other — get together: truly great jazz!

The AHA! Quintet: Freespace

Jazz Compass
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Freespace

When one thinks about jazz locales, New York City, Chicago, New Orleans, Los Angeles and Seattle generally come to mind; they’re the key areas where the art form has developed, and each has produced a distinct style. That said, jazz musicians have come from every part of the country (and, lately, every part of the world). 

The core members of the AHA! Quintet — pianist Steve Allee, bassist Jeremy Allen and drummer Steve Houghton — have the state of Indiana in common: Allee is an Indianapolis native, while Allen and Houghton are faculty members at Indiana University. For this album, that trio added a couple of stellar artists: Clay Jenkins, on trumpet; and Bob Sheppard, who plays most of the reed instruments. All these gentlemen have performed and recorded with various jazz greats: Freddie Hubbard, Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, Chick Corea, Count Basie and many others.

Allee composed and arranged all but one of this album’s tunes; the exception is the beautiful old standard, “Never Never Land,” delivered by his trio. The larger quintet’s musical style is tightly arranged jazz, more like that of the so-called West Coast sound, than the “looser” East Coast genre. The ensemble work for the melodic lines is relatively complex — obviously written, as opposed to “head” arrangements — and everything is rehearsed to perfection. Each musician gets plenty of solo space, and the performances are exceptional. It all meshes and swings wonderfully.

This is a great group, and it delivers imaginative stuff.

Bill Cunliffe: The Blues and the Abstract Truth, Take 2

Resonance Records
By Ric Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 4.2.09
Buy CD: The Blues and the Abstract Truth, Take 2

Oliver Nelson lived, and performed, during the key years of jazz.

Like many of his peers, he left us all too soon — born in 1932, died in '75 — but his contributions during that short span made him a legend. He played sax as an instrumentalist, but he was better known as a composer and arranger. He worked with many name bands during his life — Quincy Jones, as a notable example — but the classic album he released in 1961 made him famous: The Blues and the Abstract Truth.

Jazz musicians consider it in the same light as the tablets Moses brought down from the mountain. Nelson's album contained just six of his blues compositions, and they all became standards.

Pianist Bill Cunliffe, famous in his own right, is one of Nelson's disciples. Some time ago, Paul Lines, who runs the Pasadena Jazz Institute, suggested that Cunliffe should write some charts based on Nelson's album; the pianist did so, and he performed them at The Vic, a Santa Monica jazz club.

That session was taped by George Klabin, who later started Resonance Records. This album is the result; Cunliffe rearranged the six original blues and added two of his own compositions.

He has wrought a new classic.

The Take 2 band consists of trumpeters Terell Stafford and Larry Lunetta; trombonist Andy Martin; saxists Jeff Clayton, Bob Sheppard and Brian Scanlon; bassist Tom Warrington; drummer Mark Ferber; and Cunliffe on piano. It's a truly delightful group. The arrangements are excellent, as are all the instrumentalists.

The unit swings wonderfully, and Cunliffe has a lot to do with that; his solos are great, but the way he lays down chords — to back the melodic lines and other soloists — is exceptional.

This is the best album I've reviewed so far this year.

Rob Lockart: Parallel Lives

Origin Arts
By Ric Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 4.3.08
Buy CD: Parallel Lives

Rob Lockart is Texas born and educated at the University of Texas' Eastman School Of Music; he completed studies at the Banf School. He has lived and worked in New Orleans, New York and Los Angeles, where he now resides and teaches. 

His musical experience includes jobs with the Woody Herman Orchestra, Doc Severinson's Big Band and performances with numerous smaller groups headed by well-known artists such as Clark Terry, Joe La Barbera and Mel Lewis. Lockart currently is an active member of both the Chris Walden Big Band and the Woody Herman West Coast Band. 

Lockart has recorded several albums with the Walden group, but this is the first release under his own name. 

He's an excellent tenor sax artist, composer and arranger, having written all but two of the tunes here. The basic quartet consists of Lockart on tenor sax, Bill Cunliffe on piano, Jeff DiAngelo on bass, and Joe La Barbera on drums. Bob Sheppard plays tenor sax on one track, while guitarist Larry Koonse guests on another. 

All the musicians are well known and highly regarded, and their contributions are key to making Lockart's debut release a success. The group is quiet, thoughtful and swings wonderfully. 

Lockart has been a sideman with many great bands but, as a result, hasn't received the recognition he deserves. Whether he decided to take the step himself, or was talked into it, this debut is outstanding. 

Another reviewer mentioned that Lockart's cover of the old standard "All or Nothing at All" is so moving that it's hard to move forward through the rest of the tracks. I agree, and I wish I'd said it first. 

But do listen to everything; it's all prime.

The Dave Finck Quartet: Future Day

Soundbrush Records
By Ric Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 3.6.08
Buy CD: Future Day

Dave Finck's group actually is a sextet; he added a trumpet and reed player for this session. The unit consists of "first-call" personnel: local musicians who're always contacted to provide backup for "name" vocalists and bands that come into town for concerts. 

It's a successful arrangement on both sides: The big acts don't have to contend with the expense and hassle of transporting a lot of folks around the country; the local guys get experience and exposure, without having to leave their homes and regular jobs. 

This group is smooth and quietly swinging. 

It's difficult to find a Broadway or jazz vocalist who Dave Finck hasn't supported; he also has played with the Dizzy Gillespie and Herbie Hancock bands. Vibraphonist Joe Locke has been touted as the next Milt Jackson, and drummer Joe La Barbara's talent is indicated by the fact he played with the final Bill Evans trio. 

Pianist Tom Ranier also composes and arranges; trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, a young lion (born in '76), was part of the Charlie Mingus big band; multi-reed player Bob Sheppard is another first-call regular. 

Half of the dozen tunes on this record were written by one of these musicians, while the other tracks are interpretations of compositions by other well-known jazz artists. 

Only three tracks run more than 5 minutes; several clock in at less than 3. That's a little disconcerting; at times, one gets the impression that something has been left out. All in all, though, this will be a pleasant addition to your library.