Let it swing, let it swing, let it swing!

By Derrick Bang 

[Web master’s note: Northern California film critic Derrick Bang — still the eldest, youngest and only son of this site’s jazz guru, Ric Bang — has surveyed the holiday jazz scene for 21 years, with lengthy columns that just keep growing. Check out previous columns by clicking on the CHRISTMAS label below.]

It’s another solid year for holiday jazz albums, and the nicest surprise — to paraphrase the Old English rhyme — is that this year’s offerings feature both “something old, something new.”

To be more precise, a trio of “something olds.”

Longtime readers of this annual survey know that three vintage albums have topped my Gotta Have list for decades: classics which, for unknown reasons, have neither been digitized nor re-released since their initial vinyl appearance. I’ve complained about this for years and years; apparently, somebody finally listened.

To a degree.

Jazz pianist Bobby Timmons released Holiday Soul on the Prestige label way back in 1964; jazz organist Don Patterson confused things by using exactly the same title for his Prestige release the same year. Five years later, jazz pianist Duke Pearson produced Merry Ole Soul for Blue Note. All three albums are terrific, although Pearson’s boasts the most inventive arrangements and tastiest jazz chops; his iconic cover of “Sleigh Ride” has been included on at least a dozen holiday jazz compilation albums.

(For the sake of historical accuracy, I should mention that Pearson’s album was issued on CD by Japan’s Toshiba EMI in 2004, with a bonus track — “An Old Fashioned Christmas” — that isn’t available anywhere else. But it’ll cost you a pretty penny, assuming you even can find the blamed thing.)

All three albums once again are readily available — finally! — but with a hitch. In a nod toward current market forces, you have the option of vinyl or streaming ... but not CD. That’ll be fine for vinyl purists who prefer the warmth of LPs, and new-tech streaming fans who aren’t concerned about bitrates and information loss via compression ... but it leaves CD fans out in the cold. Which is a shame.

As for this year’s crop of new releases ... read on!

Chris Pasin: Detour Ahead

H20 Records
By Ric Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 12.10.09
Buy CD: Detour Ahead

I bet you've never heard of Chris Pasin.

He's a trumpet player/composer/arranger who was a sideman with several bands during the 1980s, including one fronted by Buddy Rich. But Pasin dropped off the music scope for 16 years to raise a family, and is just now playing jazz again around the New York area.

This is a debut album for Pasin, although it was recorded way back in 1987, before he took his extended sabbatical. Because much has changed during the intervening years, this is something of a time capsule.

At the time, Pasin headed a quintet that included Steve Slagle (reeds), Benny Green (piano), Rufus Reid (bass) and Dannie Richmond (drums). The group swings quite nicely.

Pasin wrote six of the eight tracks; the two others are covers of the standards “Detour Ahead” and “My Romance.” The group sounds like many of the small units that abounded on both the West and East coasts in the '80s, which is a compliment.

Although it sounds contradictory, these guys are “tight” during the ensemble passages, yet achieve a “loose” feel during the solos, thanks to the fine rhythm section. Pasin is an excellent musician; his tone is crystal clear, and his solos are inventive. Green and Reid are great, as always.

It's a pleasure to have Pasin back in the saddle.