Archive for the ‘Billy Hart’ Category
Ray Drummond – One Two Three Four (1999 – Arabesque Jazz)
Despite a lengthy (though low profile) career in jazz, this recording marks the first time 52 years young bassist Ray Drummond has recorded as leader of a quartet. 1-2-3-4 is his fourth recording for Arabesque and as such exemplifies the label’s continued documentation of Drummond’s honest, unpretentious musical style. This style is best understood by considering that Drummond is possessed of a deeply personal commitment to remain consistent within jazz legacy while simultaneously striving to move the music forward.
To realize this vision, Drummond has assembled an extraordinarily sympathetic band consisting of long time ally Billy Hart (drums), Craig Handy (saxophones), and Stephen Scott (piano). It may be cliché to say so, but this is one well-balanced outfit. The playing is persistently selfless, intelligent, and disciplined without being rigid or staid. Drummond’s arrangements are sparse and uncluttered, leaving room for himself and his partners to roam gracefully. This is not to say that the music is simplistic however. It simply refrains from gratuitous ornamentation. Neither is it to say that the music is meek or listless. On the contrary, it is imbued with passion.
1-2-3-4 consists of 12 tunes, including 5 Drummond originals. The remainder are drawn from amongst classic tunes, e.g., Wayne Shorter’s “Ana Maria” and “Nefertiti” (a long time Drummond favorite), peer Ron Carter’s “Little Waltz”, Duke Ellington’s “Prelude to a Kiss” and John Coltrane’s “Mr. P.C.”.
But despite this wealth of traditional material, as the liner notes attest, the “common pattern of head-solo-head-and-out does not dominate.” (Jon W. Poses) Furthermore, not every tune is configured for the entire quartet. Drummond performs “Prelude to a Kiss” without accompaniment. “Mr. P.C.” is performed admirably and unconventionally as a duet between Drummond and Hart. Interestingly, this duet scenario doesn’t unfold as a sparring match between instrumentalists, but more as a playful dance. Drummond states that with 1-2-3-4 he didn’t want to make just another quartet record. In that respect, 1-2-3-4 is successful.
To conclude, 1-2-3-4 was created, performed, and recorded by a singularly intuitive group of musicians under the guidance of a legitimate mainstay in the modern jazz tradition. An in-depth critical analysis of 1-2-3-4 is unnecessary; it should simply be listened to and enjoyed. After a respectable career, there shouldn’t be much left for Ray Drummond to prove. The fact that Drummond has gone largely ignored is not only unjust but also inexplicable. Hopefully. 1-2-3-4 will go a long way to rectify this situation.
(All About Jazz)
Original Release Date: February 9, 1999 – Label: Arabesque Recordings
Frank Morgan: Raising the Standard (2005 – HighNote Records)
Raising the Standard, Frank Morgan’s second album for HighNote, is a followup to last year’s widely acclaimed City Nights, recorded, like that release, before an audience at the Jazz Standard nightclub in New York City. The lineup remains the same, with Morgan accompanied by a superlative rhythm section comprised of pianist George Cables, bassist Curtis Lundy and drummer Billy Hart.
Morgan, who was out of circulation for three decades owing to drug addiction and imprisonment for same before making a successful comeback in 1985, is one of a handful of distinctive voices on alto saxophone, post bop sector (others who spring to mind are Phil Woods, Lee Konitz and Bud Shank). Among them, he is closest to Shank in luminous sound and Konitz in economy of phrasing, even though he is very much his own man, with a vocabulary that owes its genesis to Bird but is unmistakably Morgan.
At 71, Morgan can still summon the requisite fire to scorch such up-tempo numbers as Miles Davis’ “Tune Up and Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints, but he prefers the placid and more meditative temper of ballads such as “Polka Dots and Moonbeams, “In a Sentimental Mood or “Old Folks. He’s at his lyrical best on them, as he is on Ellington’s classic “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore and Cables’ lovely “Helen’s Song. Completing the charming program are Shorter’s soulful “Nefertiti and John Coltrane’s romping “Bessie’s Blues, as agreeable a closing number as one could want.
Good as he is, Morgan has to stay on his toes to keep pace with his sidemen, who are among the best in the business. Cables, an erudite master who should be winning polls, is a perceptive accompanist and resourceful soloist; Hart is one of the most eloquent and tasteful drummers on the scene; and Lundy keeps unerring time, giving the others, as Morgan says in John Murph’s liner notes, “that assured feeling that your back is covered. Even though Morgan is the headliner, no one is less indispensable than he in helping to make the session sparkle.
1. Polka Dots and Moonbeams 5:03
2. Footprints 8:39
3. Nefertiti 2:50
4. Don’t Get Around Much Anymore 9:37
5. Old Folks 5:26
6. Tune Up 8:45
7. In a Sentimental Mood 5:01
8. Helen’s Song 7:26
9. Bessie’s Blues 7:10
Personnel:
Frank Morgan: (alto sax)
George Cables: (piano)
Curtis Lundy: (bass)
Billy Hart: (drums)
Original Release Date: June 28, 2005 – Label: Highnote Records
Buy at Amazon
Listen for once, delete then buy: Part 1 Part 2
Across Rhythm 