Don Aliquo/Clay Jenkins Quintet: New Ties and Binds

Self-produced
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: New Ties and Binds

As the title of this release implies, we’re not dealing with any standards on this session. All the charts are by members of the quintet: Tenor saxman Don Aliquo wrote four, while his colleagues — trumpeter Clay Jenkins, pianist Harold Danko, bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Jim White — each contributed one. 

Each musician’s resume could fill an entire page. Jenkins has worked with Harry James, Buddy Rich, Count Basie and the Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. Danko has supported Woody Herman, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis and myriad groups led by icons such as Gerry Mulligan, Lee Konitz and Chet Baker. Reid has been part of units fronted by Art Farmer, Stan Getz and Jack DeJohnette. With respect to Australian-born White, it’s easier to say, “You name an Aussie group; he played with them.” Aliquo, finally, is a well-known sideman and teacher in the Tennessee area.

This quintet’s style is complex straight-ahead: The melodic lines, chords and key-changes keep the artists and listeners on their toes. The various arrangements’ unison sections must have been written, as they’re too complicated to commit to memory.

Most of the charts are mid- to up-tempo, and they all swing nicely. Reid deserves much of the credit; some bassists may play more creative solos, but none is more steady. Additionally, Reid is a great “producer,” meaning that he has a great talent for getting the most out of any group with which he plays.

All in all, this is an intriguing and engaging album. Give it a shot.

John LaBarbera Big Band: Caravan

Jazz Compass
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Caravan

Thank goodness for musicians like John La Barbera ... and the rest of the La Barbera family! When I simply must get another “big band fix,” artists such as La Barbera get the same urge and produce an album like this one.

Let it be shouted from the rooftops: This is a “for real” big band. 

The five-man reed section comprises Brian Scanlon, on alto sax and flute; Pat La Barbera, on tenor and soprano sax; Rob Lockhart, on tenor sax and flute; Kim Richmond, on alto sax; and Bob Carr, on baritone sax and bass clarinet. The brass section features trumpeters Wayne Bergeron, Bob O’Donnell, Willie Murillo and Clay Jenkins; trombonists Les Benedict, Eric Hughes, Ryan Dragon and Ken Kugler (the latter on bass trombone); and a rhythm section of keyboard artist Bill Cunliffe, bassist Tom Warrington, drummer Joe La Barbera, and percussionist Aaron Serfaty. John La Barbera is the leader, arranger and composer, and three of the nine tunes on this menu are his.

The title song is a well-known Juan Tizol/Duke Ellington standard, as are Kenny Barron’s “Voyage” and McCoy Tyner’s “Atlantis.” All the charts swing wonderfully, and the solo work is generous and excellent.

It wasn’t even necessary to close my eyes, to make it feel like I had time-traveled back to the best of those great years, when this kind of ensemble jazz ruled the land.

Producing this kind of music merely (!) requires a blend of some well-known artists — the La Barberas, Clay Jenkins, Bill Cunliffe and Tom Warrington — and a generous helping of the myriad lesser-known, but equally talented artists who frequent the music-oriented schools and studios that are prevalent in cities such as Los Angeles and New York. The result is almost always great jazz. 

We don’t currently get as much of this large ensemble jazz as once was the case, but this album sure will do until the next big band era comes along. It’s mandatory that we support such music for now, so that it’ll survive until the next coming!

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.

Trio East: Best Bets

Origin Records
By Ric Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 4.5.07
Buy CD: Best Bets

Back in the days of the big bands, most musicians barely finished high school before they began to play professionally. As time passed and those bands disappeared, many musicians retired or simply disappeared. 

Some of the best found jobs with studio bands that supported the movie and TV industries, and a relatively few found small groups that continued to perform in jazz clubs and lounges. I can't think of any who went back to school, although some did become teachers. 

Things have changed. 

Many of today's jazz-bent musicians enter colleges immediately after high school, and obtain degrees in their chosen field. Some are good enough to be offered teaching jobs at these colleges; many of those individuals form — or join — jazz groups and play professionally in their spare time. 

Such is the case with the members of Trio East: All are graduates and teachers at New Jersey's Eastman School of Music. Trumpeter Clay Jenkins, the group elder, did play with a number of the great bands — Stan Kenton, Buddy Rich and Count Basie — before going back to school, and he continues to play with the Clayton/Hamilton orchestra. 

The other two (younger) members of this trio, bassist Jeff Campbell and drummer Rich Thompson, also have played with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Diana Krall and Marian McPartland. 

All three are excellent musicians who, by virtue of their close association at Eastman, think and play as one. 

When listening to this group, you'll immediately realize that advanced learning has had a considerable impact on their jazz style. Five of these nine tracks are originals written by one of the trio members; the remaining tunes are standards (Ellington's "I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart," John Abercrombie's "Sweet Sixteen," Arthur Hamilton's "Cry Me A River" and John Coltrane's "Bass Blues"). 

The melodies and tempos of the latter are recognizable and danceable. Such is not the case with the originals; they're much more modern, with tempo changes, simultaneous — and different — melodic lines, and dissonances that may turn some listeners off. 

The excellence of these musicians is unquestionable, but unless you enjoy advanced jazz, this release may not be for you.