The joy in the title is very well-put – as there's a sense of upbeat warmth that grabs us right from the very first note – a quality that seems to come not just from the alto of leader Andy Fusco, but from the strong presence of the Weiskopf brothers – Walt on tenor, and Joel on piano! There's a cohesion that really grabs us right away – and maybe the real strength of the record lies in the work of Joel with bassist Mike Karn and drummer Jason Tiemann – players who leap out strongly, and provide a wonderfully firm grounding for Fusco's solos – which often have a voice that's more fragile, in a nice contrast to Walt's bolder tenor. Titles include "Today", "Tender Leaves", "Joy Riding", "Relaxin With Andy", "Erin's Blues", and "Hot House". ~ Dusty Groove
CARL WINTHER & JERRY BERGONZI – INNER JOURNEY
A really great pairing, and one we're not sure we've ever heard before – the tenor of Jerry Bergonzi and the piano of Carl Winther – coming together here in an album that sparkles especially strongly on its big number of original tunes by Winther! Winther's got a round, rolling approach to his music that's also greatly supported by the bass of Johnny Aman in the quartet – and while Bergonzi retains some of his sharper edges on tenor, he also seems to hit this lyrical beauty that we might not always associate with his music – not mellowing out, but maybe opening more emotionally – in ways that really illuminate his longstanding genius on his horn. The quartet also features Anders Mogensen on drums – who often seems to kick back a little bit, and let the bass and piano really shape the tunes – on titles that include "Triton", "Bar None", "KMA", "Inner Journey", "Requiem For JW", "Talisman", "Golem", and "Long Gone". ~ Dusty Groove
FEDERICO BONIFAZI / PHILIP HARPER – EAST 74TH
STREET
Federico Bonifazi is great pianist, and also a hell of a
writer too – one with a very fully-formed voice in jazz – able to fit complex
ideas in a very tight space, while still very much letting the soloists do
their thing! And yet Federico also seems to bring out a new depth in his group
members too – as he did on a recent album that starred Eric Alexander on tenor,
and he does this time around with Philip Harper on trumpet – sounding better
than we've heard him in years! The richness of Bonifazi's writing, and his piano
work, is tremendous – and gives Harper a platform from which to really soar –
which he does wonderfully on some of the best tracks here. Credit should also
be given to the strong bass work, which also really helps shape the sound of
the set – from either John Webber or Lorenzo Sandi, depending on the track –
and the group also features Billy Kaye on drums. Titles are all originals – and
include "High Line", "Steps House", "Ballamorando
Brando", "Crash", "Sounds Good", and
"Borotalco". ~ Dusty Groove
No comments:
Post a Comment