Taking
a look at new CDs by Charlie Dennard, Five Play, Brandon Goldberg, Tom Harrell,
Señor Groove, James Suggs and Dave Zinno …
New
Orleans-based Charlie Dennard knows quite a bit about travel. He has performed
as a musical director for Cirque du Soleil shows that have brought him to more
than a dozen countries over 15 years – and the keyboard ace is still at it. Deep Blue bubbles with a zest for
travel, with musical imagery of strutting through New Orleans’ Garden District
in weekend finery, coursing through a Middle Eastern desert or the urge to
explore someplace still on one’s bucket list. The all-originals project
features Dennard’s trio with bassist Max Moran and drummer Doug Belote on three
tracks. Guitarist Brian Seeger co-wrote two tracks and is one of 11
collaborators who expand the band to a quartet, quintet or octet on the other
compositions. The opener by the trio, “St. Charles Strut,” sets the travel tone
with its sprightly second-line beat. It also makes it clear that Dennard
learned much from mentor Ellis Marsalis about never overplaying. Dennard’s
fourth CD is a gem from start to finish. [See my full review here.]
One of the fine offshoots of drummer Sherrie Maricle’s all-woman
big band DIVA is the smaller ensembles drawn from its orchestra members. Such
is the case with Five Play, a swinging, bopping quintet whose members have been
working together for more than a decade. They include Maricle, pianist Tomoko
Ohno, bassist Noriko Ueda, trumpeter Jami Dauber and saxophonist Janelle
Reichman. This live session last October caught them in top form at the Schorr
Family Firehouse Stage in Johnson City, NY. There are three covers: Duke
Ellington’s “Just Squeeze Me,” Jimmy Van Heusen’s “Nancy with the Laughing
Face” and Jimmy McHugh’s “I Can’t Give You Everything But Love.” The rest are very,
very fine originals. Favorite track: Five Play’s world-premiere performance of
Ueda’s elegant gem “Uneven Pieces.”
Pianist Brandon Goldberg’s debut recording is quite something: a
blend of his own distinct arrangements of six standards plus three original
compositions. He understands the basics and nuances
of making jazz – and swings like mad in the great company of his trio mates,
bassist Ben Wolfe and drummer Donald Edwards. Tenor saxophonist Marcus
Strickland joins them on two tunes, the Monkish original “You Mean Me” and
Herbie Hancock’s “Dolphin Dance.”
Goldberg's twisting and turning reinterpretation of
Lennon and McCartney’s Beatles hit “Blackbird” adds interesting new facets to
its charming melody. He also put his own spin on the beautiful ballad “Angel
Eyes.” Day by day, Goldberg finds ways to breathe new life into classic jazz
material, including two Ellington hits, “Caravan” and “In a Sentimental Mood.” The latter is a solo piano treat. The South Florida resident was a month shy of
his 12th birthday when this New York session was recorded in January
2018, and he turned 13 two months before it release this year. His age and his
musical maturity are poles apart – and the jazz world is taking note in a big
way. (His trio is on the bill for the Newport Jazz Festival this August).
Trumpeter Tom Harrell has many decades under his belt as a
superior trumpet player and peerless composer. His latest recording, Infinity, enhances his reputation as one
of the finest melody makers on the jazz scene. This new quintet session teams
him with tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, guitarist Charles Altura, bassist Ben
Street and drummer Johnathan Blake. It’s a first-time combination of these
players. Percussionist Adam Cruz joins them on one track. Favorite tracks:
“Hope” and “The Isle.” Both tracks are among several that take inspiration from
and give a melodic nod to Harrell’s partly-Irish ancestry.
This
project features the Miami-based Latin jazz band Señor Groove, previously known
as the Mr. Groove Band, whose principal members are brothers Roddy and Tim Smith,
on guitar and bass respectively, and drummer Marcelo Perez. The robust band
also includes pianist Martin Bejerano and percussionist Murph Aucamp. They are
joined on various tracks by special guests Ed Calle on tenor sax, Brian Lynch
on trumpet and John Daversa on EWI. There’s also a robust string section on the
lone cover here: a beautiful take on the traditional Cuban lullaby Drume
Negrita, with vocals by Argentine singer Roxana Amed.
Tim
Gordon’s flute work, riding over multiple layers of percussion, sets the tone on
the exotic title track. Lynch and Calle team up with energetic horn work on “Linville
Falls,” originally written as a bluegrass tune. But its full-bore Latin jazz treatment
is something to behold. Andre Bernier adds more flavor on organ, supplementing
Bejerano’s piano contributions. There is much to enjoy in this seven-track tribute to the musical side of Miami’s Cuban
neighborhood.
Thirty-something trumpeter James Suggs spent some time with ghost
big bands, then on the cruise ship circuit and eight musically productive years
in Argentina before settling in Florida’s Tampa Bay area five years ago. He’s developed
into a first-call trumpeter with a glistening, creative sound, one whose debut
recording as a leader was long overdue. You’re
Gonna Hear From Me finds him in the splendid company of tenor saxophonist
(and session producer) Houston Person, pianist Lafayette Harris, bassist Peter
Washington and drummer Lewis Nash.
The session includes a blend of Great
American Songbook material, a few long-neglected jazz chestnuts, and three Suggs
originals, plus one contribution from Person. Favorite tracks: their wistful
take on the ballad “Laura,” the wistful “The Night We Called It a Day,” and Suggs’
original, “My Baby Kinda Sweet,” the latter fueled by Nash’s New Orleans second-line
shuffle beat. Also not to be missed: the bluesy Duke Ellington piece “It
Shouldn’t Happen to a Dream” and the closer, Suggs’ poignant solo trumpet version
of the Andre Previn-penned title track.
Bassist Dave Zinno’s second recording with his Unisphere band digs
into the Brazilian side of jazz and adds that flavor and energy to other
material as well. The band, co-founded with tenor saxophonist Mike Tucker,
includes trumpeter Eric “Benny” Bloom, pianist Tim Ray and Rio-born drummer
Rafael Barata. All nine tracks here are superb, including Ray’s clever
rearrangement of Lennon and McCartney’s classic ballad “Michelle.” Favorite
tracks: Unisphere’s performance on Tucker’s original “Requiem,” written in
memory of his father; and the opener, their take on J.T. Meirelles’ samba jazz
classic “Neurótico.” Interestingly, Barata played on J.T.’s 2005 recording of
the tune on his final album, Esquema
Novo.