Benny
Sharoni, a take-charge tenor saxophonist with a powerful tone reminiscent of
Sonny Rollins, unites a deep respect for the jazz masters of the past with a
keen imagination all his own. Slant Signature, Sharoni's second CD, is a
purposeful statement from a constantly searching artist, an inspired outing
that takes the reedman's soulful, sophisticated brand of jazz to new heights.
Sharoni
honed his sound like the greats of old: on the bandstand and on his own terms.
The consistent hallmark of Sharoni's playing is the deep warmth and beauty of
his tone and his lyrical phrasing. " A close friend said that I always go
for the pretty notes," he says. "Of course, everyone has a different
idea about what a pretty note is."
Sharoni's
playing isn't the only focus of Slant Signature. He's accompanied by his longtime quartet
featuring pianist Joe Barbato, bassist Todd Baker, and drummer Steve Langone,
plus special guests trumpeter Jim Rotondi and guitarist Mike Mele. The band
reinforces the music's immediacy and beauty, drawing in listeners with a
profound joie de vivre while tackling Sharoni's five tangy originals. They also put their distinctive stamp on the
Lee Morgan classic "Ceora," Freddie Hubbard's "Down Under"
and Ray Bryant's "Tonk."
"They have musical instincts that reflect my own
sensibilities" Sharoni says. "That's huge."
It's
been several years since Sharoni's debut CD, Eternal Elixir (2010, Papaya),
garnered rave reviews. Yet these have not been idle years for the Boston-area
composer-saxophonist. "A jazz musician never feels like he's mastered
anything," Sharoni says, "but I felt like over the last five years of
hard work, exploration and composing that the time was right to embark on this
project. This album is a great milestone for me. I feel like I'm at my next
level of freedom and creativity."
It's
always been an unlikely route for Sharoni, the Israeli-born son of Chilean and
Yemeni immigrants, but he's forged his own path successfully. He enrolled at
Berklee College but left after one semester, too free-spirited to thrive while
there. He continued his jazz education, studying privately with Jerry Bergonzi
and George Garzone, playing gigs with the likes of Joshua Redman, Danilo Perez,
Kenny Garrett and Larry Coryell, imbibing influences and carving out his own
sound.
His
playing can be gruff and virile, as it is on "Subterranean
Samba." He can also play a melody
with a gentle caress, as he does on Lee Morgan's "Ceora." The sensual
appeal of his sound is matched by a searching intelligence, so that his music
is always smart and emotionally honest without being pretentious. Listen to
"Bitter Drops" to hear how Sharoni's burly sound anchors his probing
lines in a bedrock of blues. On "Slant Signature," he sounds relaxed
and in control as his elegant phrases flow smoothly over the galloping tempo.
And there's a compelling logic to his solos on "Minor City" and
"The Bodega" that grabs listeners and takes them along for the ride.
The
band, too, fits Sharoni's vision with a deep intuitive level of communication
and solos at once relaxed, yet urgent and focused. "Subterranean
Samba" and "The Bodega" are good places to hear how tight the
band is, how readily they lock into a groove, and how well they support each
other. Pianist Joe Barbato mines the New Orleans piano tradition for a
rhythmic, bluesy solo on "Bitter Drops" and gets down to some serious
gospel soul jazz testifying on Ray Bryant's "Tonk." Bassist Todd
Baker lays down a rock solid foundation for the band, no matter whether the
music is unfolding with blistering energy in "Minor City" or at the
leisurely tempo of "Ceora." Drummer Steve Langone is a model of
versatility, handling Brazilian, New Orleans, Latin, and swinging jazz rhythms
with equal finesse.
Even
trumpeter Jim Rotondi, who is playing with Sharoni for the first time, sounds
like a regular band member on "Tonk," "Down Under," and
"The Bodega," on which his tasteful melodicism and swing find a
welcoming home. The album's other special guest, guitarist Mike Mele, who also
appeared on Sharoni's acclaimed first album, provides a title track highlight
in a solo that nicely balances long, flowing bop lines and blues inflections.
Born and
raised in Israel on a kibbutz near the Gaza Strip, Benny Sharoni grew up in a
home full of music. His multiethnic ancestry meant Sharoni heard music from his
parents' respective homelands of Chile and Yemen as a child. As a teenager, he
studied classical flute, but fell in love with jazz when he heard Sonny
Rollins. In 1986, after a traumatic stint in the Israeli army, Sharoni moved to
Boston to attend Berklee College of Music. He soon began leading his own bands
and has appeared with Joshua Redman, Danilo Perez, Kenny Garrett, and Larry
Coryell. He now performs and tours regularly with his band throughout the East
Coast, Canada, Europe and Asia. Eternal Elixir, Sharoni's first CD as leader,
"mixes the vitality of a spiritual journey with the intelligence of an
academic lesson, to come up with an intoxicating cocktail of brains and
brawn," according to Jordan Richardson in All About Jazz.
For
Sharoni, the bottom line is that the music moves and inspires people.
"This record is 99 percent heart," he says. "The band is so full
of heart and joy and intensity and everybody's mission was make the most
beautiful music they could."
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