Lori Bell Quartet: Brooklyn Dreaming

Self-produced
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Brooklyn Dreaming

I love the flute, in any flavor. One of the best things that ever happened to jazz, was the addition of the flute to the arsenal of instruments with which reed artists have become proficient. It adds a sound — and bright tone — that bring compositions to life.

Lori Bell is a virtuoso musician who excels with this “horn,” in both the C and alto versions. This release, her ninth, features her quartet: pianist Tamir Hendelman, bassist Katie Thiroux, and drummer Matt Witek.

Although Bell resides in San Diego, this album is a homage to New York City and the surrounding areas where she spent her early years. She’s both an instrumentalist and an expert composer; she wrote six of these nine songs. The other three are Charles Mingus’ “Nostalgia in Times Square,” Thelonious Monk’s “52nd Street Theme,” and Earl Hagen’s “Harlem Nocturne.” She arranged all of them.

You’ll immediately notice the quartet’s “lightness” and soft swinging sound. “Beauty” isn’t often used as a jazz descriptor, but that’s a decent term in this case. Bell delivers “happy” music, no matter the tempo; that’s due not only to her fine flute work, but also to  the equally accomplished efforts of her band mates. They’re all very tasty artists, and they swing nicely.

Jeff Hamilton and Scott Hamilton: Live in Bern

Capri Records
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Live in Bern

Scott and Jeff aren’t related, except by a love of jazz and stellar abilities on their instruments of choice: Scott on the tenor sax, and Jeff on the drums.  They were born within a year of each other, Scott in 1954 and Jeff in ’53, during the latter stages of the swing era, and the early years of the bop revolution. Both worked with icons during their formative years: Benny Goodman for Scott, and Lionel Hampton and the Tommy Dorsey “ghost band” for Jeff.

Scott has been compared to Stan Getz and Zoot Sims but, as time has passed, has developed  a sound of his own: smooth, uncluttered, beautifully toned and always swinging. Most of his time is spent living and touring outside the United States.

Jeff is in demand by all sorts of A-list artists, both instrumentalists and vocalists. I’ve never heard a record of his that wasn’t top-drawer.

This release marks their first time together. Because both work constantly, and were scheduled to perform at the International Jazz Festival in Bern, Switzerland, they met there and made this album.

Scott joins Jeff’s trio in a sumptuous menu of tunes from the Great American Songbook, along with some jazz classics.  The lineup includes “September in the Rain,” “Watch What Happens,” “You and the Night and the Music,” Mal Waldren’s “Soul Eyes,” Benny Carter’s “Key Largo” and Billy Strayhorn’s “Ballad for the Very Tired and Very Sad Lotus Eaters.” Jeff Hamilton also features an original, “Sybille’s Day.” All are great tunes, and all handled superbly, as evidenced by the fact that the combo recorded everything in a single session.

The result? This is a marvelous, swinging album. The band also features Tamir Hendelman on piano, and Christoph Luty on bass, both on a grooving par with the two Hamiltons.

What’s not to like?

Jeff Hamilton Trio: Great American Songs Through the Years

Capri Records
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Great American Songs Through the Years

I knew this release would be great, even before hearing it. Jeff Hamilton is the most tasteful drummer around; ditto for pianist Tamir Hendleman and bassist Christoph Luty. Add the fact that these artists have played together for more than a decade, and, well, you have a sure winner.

Capri Records obviously thinks the same. They took this album — initially released in 2013 in Japan, by Art Promotion Inc. — and produced a 2,500-copy limited edition of their own. Get yours quickly (although I expect it’ll be popular enough to prompt further editions).

Hamilton, born in the early 1950s, quickly became a percussion legend. It’s difficult to find a top artist with whom he hasn’t worked. During his early years, the list included Lionel Hamilton, Woody Herman, Monty Alexander and the Tommy Dorsey “ghost band.” The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra (CHJO) was formed in 1985, and still exists and records today. Other associations include Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Rosemary Clooney, Diana Krall and combos under Hamilton’s own name.  

The number of vocalists he has supported is a further indication of his tasteful playing.

Hendelmen, born in Israel in 1984, moved to the States and at age 14 won a Yamaha competition. In 1993, he became the youngest musical director at Florida’s Lovewell Institute. He has recorded with Barbra Streisand and Natalie Cole, toured with Tierney Sutton and the Bill Holman Big Band, and (of course) is a member of Hamilton’s combo and the CHJO.

Luty has been with Hamilton’s trio for a decade, also is a member of the CHJO, and teaches. His association with name artists includes Shirley Horn, Dave Brubeck, Bill Cunliffe and Bill Watrous.

Anyone who lived through the Big Band years will be familiar with the 10 Great American Songbook tunes that fill this album. It’s all familiar, memorable and swinging, and it’s an absolute must for your jazz library.

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.

Jeff Hamilton Trio: Red Sparkle

Capri Records
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Red Sparkle

Unless you’re way out of touch, you know that the Jeff Hamilton Trio is the best small-jazz unit in today’s music world.

Not long ago, that accolade applied to groups headed by Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown and Gene Harris ... but since their passing, Hamilton’s trio stands alone.

Hamilton is the elder statesman, approaching 60. It’s almost impossible to find a jazz artist or group with whom he hasn’t played and recorded. He’s the “Hamilton” who co-leads the Clayton/Hamilton Big Band, which has existed for many years (and remains one of the best jazz orchestras playing today). Earlier in his career, Hamilton worked with all three of the top trios mentioned above, along with Tommy Dorsey, Lionel Hampton, Woody Herman, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Barbara Streisand, Mel Torme, Diana Krall and oh so many others. Note, in particular, the top vocalists mentioned; they’re a key indicator of his “tastefulness.” (Singers want to be supported, not overwhelmed.)  

Bassist Christoph Luty came to Los Angeles from Salt Lake City in 1990, so he could “play with the greats. He and Hamilton have worked with many of the same individuals and groups: a clear explanation for their close alliance. 

Tamir Hendleman, a prodigious, Israeli-born pianist, is the relative youngster in the trio; he joined in 2000. Once again, an examination of his career experience reveals a path closely allied with his trio colleagues; all three are members of the Clayton/Hamilton band, and have been members of various groups that have supported icon vocalists.

What else do they have in common? They swing like crazy, yet  it’s “different” in a wonderful way. Their absolute control of their instruments produces a preciseness that is beyond the sound and “feel” possessed by other groups. That, in turn, grants their performance a relative “softness.”

The 10 tracks here cover the jazz waterfront. Four are group originals: Hamilton contributed “Ain’t That a Peach” (a tribute to Snooky Young, who was part of the Clayton/Hamilton band for years) and “Red Sparkle” (the color of Jeff’s first drum set). Luty composed “In an Ellingtone,” and Hendleman and Hamilton produced “Hat’s Dance.” The rest of the menu consists of standards by Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen, Ray Brown and others. As arranged and delivered here, they’re all winners.

This isn’t the first album by this trio, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. And, like all the others, it’s a great keeper.

The Jay Lawrence Trio: Thermal Strut

OA2 Records
By Ric Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 5.3.07
Buy CD: Thermal Strut

From the opening eight bars of the title tune, you know this will be an excellent release. 

Although the individual musicians in this trio aren't well known to the listening public, they are key members of the musical fraternity. And, as is becoming the norm today, all are college graduates and teachers. 

Jay Lawrence, the drummer and leader, has recorded more than 90 albums with the luminaries of music: You name the individuals or groups, and Lawrence has worked with them. He began his career at age 15, playing in Nevada showrooms, then moved into the fields of Broadway shows, movies, TV shows and concerts. 

He's currently an assistant professor at the University of Utah, and a director of music at Brigham Young University, Snow College and Utah Valley State College. 

Bassist Lynn Seaton began playing guitar at age 7, then switched to bass at 11. He studied music at the University of Oklahoma, and has played in 49 states of the union, not to mention more than 35 foreign countries. He currently teaches at the University of North Texas. 

Pianist Tamir Hendelman began playing at age 6. He attended the Anazagi Conservatory in Tel Aviv, Israel, following that with Tanglewood Institute and the Eastern School of Music. He's an outstanding pianist and arranger; he did six of the 10 tracks on this release. 

This is a "happy" CD: wonderfully tasty, swinging, straight-ahead jazz. These guys really enjoy playing together, and they love what they're doing. The album is innovative but not far out; it makes you want to listen, and it's all danceable. 

Lawrence supports beautifully, and never intrudes. Seaton is rock-solid, and is one of the few bassists I've heard who can play "bowed" solos and maintain the beat and melodic line. Hendelman is the icing on this trio cake: He plays effortlessly and flawlessly, and swings like crazy. His treatment of "Love for Sale" is particularly impressive. 

This is the best trio to have come along in years ... don't miss it!