Bob Powers
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America lost one of its few jazz outlets on television when Johnny Carson decided to retire in 1992. The Tonight Show band, led by trumpeter "Doc" Severinson (who never claimed to be a jazz man), contained some of the best musicians in the business. To many fans of the late-night show, pianist Ross Tompkins deserved more solo time.
Tompkins joined the show in 1967 and stayed until Carson took his final bows nearly a decade ago. Tompkins' jazz roots go way back, as he worked with Benny Goodman's big band and the Goodman Sextet. Tompkins reached the recording studios, appearing on albums headlined by trombonists Kai Winding and J.J. Johnson. Tompkins joined the Tonight Show band when Severinson took over from Skitch Henderson.
Arbors Records puts the spotlight on Tompkins with the ninth in its series of piano solo CD's. "Ross Tompkins: Younger Than Springtime" demonstrates that Tompkins has kept his bright light in the shadows far too young. As a soloist, he brings a two-fisted authority to a superb group of songs.
The CD opens with a stirring, romantic version of the title song, a gem from the great team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein. One of Cole Porter's songs that gets scant attention is "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye," which will manufacture weepy eyes for many listeners.
The great old Matt Dennis-Tom Adair song, "Violets for Your Furs," is one of those classics which hasn't been heard often in recent years. Tompkins manages to wrench the proper amount of sentiment from a lovely melody. Everybody thinks of Sinatra when they hear "Nancy (with the Laughing Face." I'll bet you didn't know that Jimmy Van Heusen and Phil Silvers, who achieved TV fame in the sitcom "Sergeant Bilko", wrote the song.
Tompkins plays 15 songs on this marvelous package, each done with sensitivity and always keeping the melody in mind. He may offer too much in the way of embellishment for some listeners, but his touch seems just right in every glorious arrangement.
Arbors deserves kudos for sticking with this series of piano solos. May it continue for years to come.
Rebecca & Dave
What a sensational combination! Rebecca Kilgore, a singer who makes every song her own, joins pianist Dave Frishberg for an ear pleasing delight called "The Starlit Hour" (Arbors Records).
Kilgore and Frishberg worked together in 1997 at the Heathman Hotel in Portland, Ore. This recording was made on the final night of their long-running appearance. I don't know why it took so long to make it as an Arbors release, but we can only be thankful that it's finally available.
With a sweet tone to her voice, Kilgore does more than justice to each of the 19 tracks on this joyful album. Known as the top jazz vocalist in Portland (hardly something to brag about, I'd guess), she has finally begun to stir interest around the rest of the country. Her voice seems slight at times, but when she needs to belt, she can do it. With a background that includes heading a country band, Kilgore sounds comfortable with any music that handed to her.
There are 19 tunes in this stuffed songbook, ranging all over the territory ascribed to pop singers of the past and present. Some of the choices: "I Hear Music," "Ten Cents a Dance," "Cry Me a River," and "Thanks for the Memory." Because so many of these selections will be unfamiliar to listeners, Kilgore and Frishberg make the most of their opportunities to claim many compositions as their own.
Familiar to music fans for his work as a composer (Rosemary Clooney often sings his "Sweet Kentucky Ham" and "Do You Miss New York?"), Frishberg here shows that he's more than just the piano man backing the beautiful singer. Frishberg handles his duties with grace and much authority, though he rightly never overpowers the fine voice of Kilgore.
If you're searching for a very special gift for the season, "The Starlit Hour" would make a great choice.
Cary's Tunes Again
Trumpeter, composer and arranger Dick Cary died in 1994, but his contributions to jazz continue to inspire newcomers to jazz. Musicians who worked with Cary believe his work deserves to stay current.
For years, Cary hosted Tuesday night sessions at his home in California. The rehearsal band those evenings was the crucible for musical creativity and an outlet for jazz aficionados of all ages.
A year or so ago, Arbors released the first in the Dick Cary Series. Now comes Volume 2 and devoted jazz listeners may want to investigate this excellent CD posthaste. It's got a rather long title: "Dick Cary's Tuesday Night Friends Got Swing."
The personnel varies from time to time, but the result is outstanding big band jazz, performed with enthusiasm and stunning craftsmanship. You will find both old and new compositions. There are four charts of Duke Ellington tunes, seven charts written by Cary, and some grizzled standards, including "Puttin' on the Ritz." There's a fine version of Fletcher Henderson's "Down South Camp Meeting."
Since there are more than 3,200 arrangements in Cary's "book," it would seem likely that Arbors will continue this series for a long time to come. I love it!
