Tim Hegarty: Tribute

Miles High Records
By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Tribute

When good jazz musicians get together, you can almost always look forward to a swinging album. That’s certainly the case with this release, which features saxophonist Tim Hegarty. He’s not yet a name artist, but this album demonstrates that he’s well on the way. 

Hegarty grew up in a musical family, began playing at an early age, received his education at Miami University, the Manhattan School of Music, and the New School, and earned his master’s degree from Queens College.

During his early years he was good enough — and lucky enough — to learn from, and play with, luminaries such as Frank Foster, Gil Evans and the Mingus Big Band. Names like that provide the musical “keys to the city,” and Hegarty took full advantage.

Hegarty performs on both tenor and soprano sax on this album; his style is clean, straight-ahead, smooth and always swinging. He’s supported by some like-minded artists: Kenny Barron on piano, Rufus Reid on bass, and Carl Allen on drums. The excellent vibraphonist Mark Sherman also guests on half of the 10 tracks. 

The album title reflects Hegarty’s acknowledgement and appreciation of the past and present artists who have influenced him.

The musical menu include a couple of Hegarty originals, four charts from Jimmy Heath, and jazz standards from Frank Foster, George Coleman, Joe Henderson and T. Monk.

Hey, you just can’t miss with these cats!

The Benny Golson Jazztet: New Time, New 'Tet

Concord Records
By Ric Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 4.2.09
Buy CD: New Time, New 'Tet

Tenor saxman, composer and arranger Benny Golson, born in 1929 and still active, is a living legend. The Howard University graduate has worked with many of the jazz giants who were key to the bebop genre, including John Coltrane, the Heath brothers, Clifford Brown and Tadd Dameron.

Golson considered the latter to be the most important influence on his writing.

Golson's jazz standards include “Killer Joe,” “Whisper Not,” “Along Came Betty” and “I Remember Clifford.” He and the late Art Farmer co-led their famous Jazztet for several years, after which Golson concentrated on studio and movie soundtrack work. His musical contributions were an important part of the TV shows M*A*S*H, Ironside and Room 222.

Golson also had a key cameo role with Tom Hanks, in The Terminal.

Golson's new Jazztet features some fine, relatively new, sidemen. The basic sextet includes Steve Davis (trombone), Eddie Henderson (trumpet), Buster Williams (bass), Mike LeDonne (piano) and Carl Allen (drums). Vocalist Al Jarreau helps the group reprise “Whisper Not.”

The result is nice, tight and swinging. The covers of Sonny Rollins' “Airegen” and Thelonious Monk's “Epistrophy” provide a new spark to these jazz classics.

All in all, it's a groovin' album. Welcome back, Benny!