At a time
when jazz bandleaders from across the musical and generational spectrums
regularly lament the difficulty of keeping a band together, it's all the more
remarkable that a supergroup like One For All has stuck it out for twenty
years. But the impeccably swinging sextet, made up of some of the most
in-demand players in modern jazz, is not just celebrating past achievements but
charging forward into the future. The title of their latest album, The Third
Decade, sounds a confident note marking the dawn of the band's next chapter.
"We're
very optimistic," says pianist David Hazeltine. "We're all serious
musicians who are dedicated to preserving that swinging feeling, so this band
will always be together."
One For All's
16th release is its first in five years and the first in its history to feature
original compositions by all six members. The Third Decade, due out June 3 via
Smoke Sessions Records, brings together once again tenor saxophonist Eric
Alexander, trumpeter Jim Rotondi, trombonist Steve Davis, pianist David
Hazeltine, bassist John Webber, and drummer Joe Farnsworth. As always, the
fiery and soulful musicianship is only matched by the warmth and spirit that
results from a lifetime of musical friendships.
That
camaraderie is captured by the band's name, which was taken from the final
studio album by Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers; which itself featured a title
track penned by Davis. The band was thus founded with a sense of continuity
with the past along with the focus on torch-passing renewal that Blakey always
expounded.
As Alexander
puts it, "It was always our goal to write and arrange music in such a way
that we didn't sound like a cover band for Art Blakey or Horace Silver or any
of the other classic sextets that have made such indelible marks on modern jazz
music. I think we've done a good job of achieving that objective. One For All
has brought out aspects of each of our musical personalities that we didn't
know we had, or at least that we hadn't explored in a very in-depth way prior
to the band's founding."
The release
of The Third Decade on the Smoke Sessions label is also a significant
homecoming for the sextet, which initially came together on the stage of
Smoke's predecessor, Augie's. Smoke has remained an important hub for the band
since, as well as being the site for the recording of its 2001 release Live at
Smoke.
A single
annunciatory snare blast from Farnsworth heralds the opening of The Third
Decade with Davis' brisk "Easy," written during a one busy Hartford,
Connecticut rush hour. The trombonist muses that the tune just might be
"an instinctual therapy to counter life's hectic pace." In any case,
it's hard to stress about much with Davis, Rotondi, Alexander and Hazeltine
taking such buoyant, worry-relieving solos.
Davis also
contributed his piece "Daylight," which had previously been recorded
by his own quintet as well as trombonist Steve Turre's Bones of Art sextet. Its
bright rhythms feel right at home with this band, though, with the horns and
Hazeltine all finding joyous inspiration in Farnsworth's dancing cymbals.
Alexander's
yearning "Ghost Ride" was originally written as the title theme for
an independent short film. The piece's nocturnal melancholy is bolstered by the
addition of French horn played by Alexander's neighbor, Dave Wakefield, whose
beautiful sound drifts into the saxophonist's home (and ears) on a daily basis.
On the other end of the spectrum is Alexander's tense, urgent
"Frenzy," which bristles with a nervous energy that makes its title
self-explanatory.
The muscular
horn lines of Hazeltine's "Buddy's" celebrate both the friendships in
the band as well as the composer's longtime mentor, pianist Buddy Montgomery.
"Buddy was one of my heroes growing up and one of the best jazz piano
players of all time," Hazeltine says. "I got a chance to know him
personally from the time I was 14 until he passed away, so I tried to write
something like Buddy would write." It was through his friendship with
Montgomery that Hazeltine met drummer "Killer" Ray Appleton, who passed
away last October and is the subject of the pianist's second piece,
"K-Ray."
Rotondi
offers two compositions on the album: "For Curtis," a simmering
groove in honor of trombone great Curtis Fuller, and "Ruth," which he
previously recorded on a quartet session with One For All's rhythm section,
here in a warm, rich new arrangement. Webber's infectiously funky
"Babataya" calls to mind the hearty soul-jazz of Lee Morgan, while
Farnsworth's "Hey Stevie D" calls out his bandmate with a boisterously
grooving, finger-snappin' stroll.
The sole
standard on this outing is Hazeltine's arrangement of the Rodgers and Hart
classic "It's Easy to Remember," an apt sentiment for the occasion.
"Looking back over all the things we've done," Alexander sums up,
"it's clear we've been together for a long time, made a lot of music, and
have had a tremendous amount of experiences -- musical and otherwise --
together."
One For All · The Third Decade / Smoke Sessions Records · Release Date: June 3, 2016
One For All · The Third Decade / Smoke Sessions Records · Release Date: June 3, 2016
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