MAIN EVENT. A Good Place to Get Started --- a.k.a "Table of Contents"
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MAIN EVENT. A Good Place to Get Started --- a.k.a "Table of Contents" |
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The stacks of new albums sometimes overwhelm me. Occasionally, an album I've intended to review promptly somehow crawls to the bottom of a pile that doesn't get touched, except by dust, for weeks at a time. This week's column is an attempt to give some air to a stack of recent albums that accidentally got pushed to the back of the bus. Kermit Ruffins is a vocalist-trumpet player who has gained considerable renown in New Orleans. His brand of swing/jazz is infectious. You won't be able to prevent the toes from tapping when this CD spins on your turntable. Ruffins, much better as a trumpet player than as a vocalist (his vocal style consists of shouting in rhythm), turns in a mostly delightful set in "Swing This!" (Basin Street Records), a collection of a dozen tunes that may well have you marching around the living room. Ruffins and his supporting players (usually five strong) tackle some sure-fire songs, including "Ain't Misbehavin', " "But Not for Me," and "Bucket's Got a Hole in It." Try it, you'll like it.
Jimmy Cobb's been one of the best drummers in jazz for a long, long time. His latest album, "Only for the Pure at Heart" (Fable Records) shows the veteran performer in good stead. The quartet does both familiar and not-so familiar tunes ranging from "Stars Fell on Alabama" to "Smile." Everything's played solidly, although sometimes I wished the album would liven up just a tad.
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Say you like swing? Then you'll want to acquire a copy of "Everywhere You Go There's Jazz" (Arbors Records), the latest from Bob Wilber, backed by the International March of Jazz All-Stars. The band, assembled last year during a jazz weekend in Florida, contains top performers from Finland, Sweden, Great Britain, Canada and the U.S. If you're familiar with Wilber, you know you're in line for some straight-ahead, unadulterated, old time jazz. The song lineup is superb and this is one terrific album.
Put together two of the best tenor sax men in all of show business and what do you have? "The Feeling of Jazz" (Arbors Records), the new album pairing Tommy Newsom and Ken Peplowski. Most of us remember Newsom, whose deadpan responses to Johnny Carson on the old "Tonight" show caused merriment for years. Newsom always conducted the band when Doc Severinsen was otherwise occupied. Newsom and Peplowski, backed by a stellar quartet, tackle eleven of the great songs, including "Only a Rose," "The Feeling of Jazz," and the magnificent Hoagy Carmichael/Johnny Mercer tune, "Skylark." The result is great music.
Like a bit of funk with your jazz? A bit of hip-hop to make things interesting? You'll such a combination in "Perceptions" (Lipstick Records), the new album from Witzel's Venue. Leader Reiner Witzel plays both tenor and soprano saxes. He has five musicians playing behind him on the album, in addition to guest stars (one is David Sanborn). This is an excellent album that you'll place in your often-played stack.
The publicity material that came with Julian Dawson's new album claims that the British pop-rocker "makes pop music for smart people." I'm not sure how smart I am, but I found Dawson's brand of music quite tasty, thank you so much. His first release on the Gadfly label finds Dawson in impressive company. There are contributions on the album by the much-heralded Lucinda Williams, Richard Thompson, the Roches, Steve Forbert and Garry Tallent. With such impressive backups, it's no surprise that "Spark" is an excellent album.
One of my favorite saxophone players from my youth (the Stan Kenton Orchestra was then my favorite band) was Charlie Mariano, who back in those years long ago played in the Kenton band. Mariano also worked with Shelly Manne. Later Mariano married the pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi and played the first saxophone in her big band for several years. Mariano marks his 75th birthday with his first album in a long while. "Savannah Samurai" (Jazzline Records) contains nothing but originals, including a four-part "Climate Suite." Mariano shows no diminishing of his remarkable chops. The album has a quality of lushness about it, although sometimes it seems aimed more at the intellect, instead of the heart. However, it's wonderful to have a great musician back and sounding simply superb.
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