Self is now releasing TOUCH AND GO, his 21st album. It follows MY AMERICA 2: Destinations (2023), about which JW Vibe said, “Perhaps a listen or two to the wondrous songs, dynamic mashups and fresh, hipster, sometimes rockin’, often lush and frequently swinging arrangements will serve as a reminder of our common goals and heritage and love for timeless American music.”
On his latest release, Self once again teams up with guitarist JOHN CHIODINI. The two masters have produced three duo jazz albums together and another with the David Angel Jazz Ensemble. Like Self, Chiodini has an extensive resume. Besides his many movie and TV credits, he was a member of the Boston Pops Orchestra under Arthur Fiedler and performed and recorded with a Who’s Who of top jazz artists like Peggy Lee, Buddy DeFranco, Maynard Ferguson, Carl Andersen, Louis Bellson, and Tony Bennett, to name just a few. Each of Self’s recordings have featured different kinds of bands, usually either classical or jazz. For TOUCH AND GO, The Jim Self & John Chiodini Quintet also includes top Los Angeles musicians, including RON STOUT (trumpet), KEN WILD (bass), and KENDALL KAY (drums). Self says, “When Chiodini and I talked about who we wanted for this quintet recording, we chose Ron, Ken and Kendall because of their great jazz playing, impeccable time and (most of all) for their cooperative and friendly manner.”
Like many of Self’s song and CD titles, he took the title TOUCH AND GO from his 30+ years as a small plane pilot. It is a term that pilots use for practicing take offs and landings where, after touching down, you immediately take off and “go around” the pattern again.
As always, Self and Chiodini chose songs they knew would work well for a quintet. They enjoy the collaborative aspect of playing jazz, and all the players contributed suggestions, arrangements, or compositions to the project. Self and Chiodini also wrote two originals each.
The album opens with the title tune, “Touch And Go,” written by Self. It is an exciting, high-energy tune with a 3/4-6/8 hemiola groove. The melody is played on the trumpet and Fluba, which is a tuba-sized flugelhorn invented by Self. Lou Rovner wrote a clever arrangement for Fats Waller’s “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” The quirky arrangement features 7/4 bars and quotes from“ Tiptoe Through the Tulips.”
Stout wrote the 8th note/quasi-Latin arrangement for Benny Carter’s “Only Trust Your Heart.” It features an intimate trio setting with tuba, flugelhorn, and guitar. Chiodini wrote “Amber.” The tune is given a post-bop treatment with a funky blues feel and showcases Chiodini’s dense, altered dominant chords.
Self has recorded other Clare Fischer tunes, and “Ornathardy” had been on his bucket list to record for many years. He finally found the perfect band to record it. Self had often worked with Fischer in the studios and knew he was famous for his complicated jazz writing. Trombonist Joey Sellers, who is also a jazz writer of complicated music, arranged the tune and created a very cool loping jazz waltz version with interesting counter melodies.
Wild wrote a swinging samba arrangement for J.J. Johnson’s “Lament.” The tune has special resonance for Self, who toured Japan with Mel Torme and the Marty Paich Decktette in 1989. Self relates, “The opening act was the J.J. Johnson Quintet followed by the Ray Brown Trio. Itis my understanding that, on the day of the final concert in Tokyo, J.J.’s wife had just died back in the U.S. He came out and played a beautiful solo trombone ballad version of “Lament” in her memory. It was a very heartfelt and poignant moment.”
Stout suggested “Susanne” by drummer Kevin Tullius, played as a duo with Self and Chiodini. Self says, “John is the perfect accompanist for me. He always knows how to make me sound good. It’s no wonder so many great vocalists have chosen him for their records.” “Prolepsis” was written by David Angel and arranged by Joey Sellers. A dear friend of Self and Chiodini, they love Angel’s contrapuntal writing and wanted to record one of his originals with this quintet. “Prolepisis,” which is Greek and means knowing something is going to happen before it does, has a kind of “Night in Tunisia” format with a Latin A section and swing bridge.
“Triangles,” another Self composition, is a medium jazz waltz inspired by a composition he recorded on his Basset Hound Blues album. Self wrote a stretto-like repeat of the head for Stout and himself. Chiodini says, “It has a great 3/4 feel. Jim’s writing is a lesson in composition--melodic lines, counterpoint, and fugues. Hearing it in the context of a jazz waltz is wonderful. And it is being played so effortlessly by Jim and Ron.”
Benny Golson’s “Whisper Not” is another tune arranged by Joey Sellers. Although most everyone plays it fast, the band plays this well-travelled song in a relaxed manner. Chiodini’s “Restless” is a laid-back slow blues with the feel of a smoky Noir dive bar back in the 1940s. Chiodini’s complicated “guitar-esque” chords with the chorus effect create a “spacey” feeling. The band closes the album with “Dig” by Miles Davis. A bebop jazz standard, tuba and bass play the head in unison with drums in the first half, with the trumpet and guitar added in the second half.
And, of course, all Basset Hound Records end with Stanley the Basset Hound’s mournful howls.
The tuba is most often used in concert by brass and military bands. However, Self elevates the instrument by playing it with great sensitivity and soulfulness. But as the swinging, hip arrangements and original writing on TOUCH AND GO so deftly demonstrate, this entire band - Self, Chiodini, Stout, Wild, and Kay - are all masters of their instruments.
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