Archive for the ‘Ray Drummond’ 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
Gary Bartz – There Goes The Neighborhood (1990 – Candid Records)
Alto saxophonist Gary Bartz attended the Juilliard Conservatory of Music and became a member of Charles Mingus’ Jazz Workshop from 1962-1964 where he worked with Eric Dolphy and encountered McCoy Tyner for the first time. He also began gigging as a sideman in the mid-’60s with Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach, and later as a member of Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers. His recording debut was on Blakey’s Soul Finger album. Tyner formed his famed Expansions band in 1968 with Bartz on alto. In addition, Bartz also formed his own bands at this time and recorded a trio of albums for Milestone, and continued to tour with Max Roach’s band. In 1970, Miles Davis hired Bartz and featured him as a soloist on the Live-Evil recording. Bartz formed the Ntu Troop that year as well, an ensemble that fused soul and funk, African folk music, hard bop, and vanguard jazz into a vibrant whole. Among the group’s four recordings from 1970-1973, Harlem Bush Music: Taifa and Juju Street Songs have proved influential with soul jazzers, and in hip-hop and DJ circles as well. From 1973-1975 Bartz was on a roll, issuing I’ve Known Rivers and Other Bodies, Music Is My Sanctuary, Home, and Another Earth, all stellar outings. He meandered for most of the 1980s, coming back in 1988 with Reflections on Monk. Since that time, Bartz has continued making records of quiet intensity and lyrical power — notably Red & Orange Poems in 1995 — and has with become one of the finest if under-noticed alto players of his generation.
his CD is a living document of the musicianship of Gary Bartz who continues to be one of the most articulate and arresting saxophone voices. The title of the album has special significance for the alto saxophonist. He wanted to make a statement not mere
Although he dismissed notions about a comeback, this ’90 album was the triumphant, exuberant vehicle Gary Bartz hadn’t made in quite a while. His rippling solos and dominant presence were welcome for fans who wondered if he had squandered the potential he’d shown in the ’60s
Thom Jurek
Original Release Date: 1990 – Label: Candid Records
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Benny Golson: The Best Of Benny Golson (2009 – Concord Music)
The seductive charm that makes Benny Golson’s “Whisper Not” so appealing has not diminished in half a century, as is evident when listening to the two performances found here, one recorded in 1956, the other just last year. The latter, with Al Jarreau singing the Leonard Feather lyrics with surprising sensitivity, comes from Golson’s latest version of the sextet he originally formed with the late Art Farmer in 1959. The 1956 instrumental recording, by a nonet, is an opulent rendering with heraldic flourishes by Julius Watkins’ French horn plus solos from Farmer’s trumpet, Gigi Gryce’s alto and Golson’s rococo climactic tenor sax.
“Whisper Not” is one of many tunes that have made Golson one of jazz’ leading composers. He has displayed an unfailing gift for suave melodies combined with elaborate and sophisticated harmonies, all spiced with rhythms ranging from sultry saunters to high-stepping marches. And his playing, like his compositions, never relinquishes melody, no matter how baroque or extravagant his bebop-inspired harmonic flights may soar.
“The Best Of” album concentrates as much on presenting Golson the improviser as it does the composer, with his early work represented by tracks featuring mostly quintets with trombonist Curtis Fuller. His solos reflect the influence of Lucky Thompson with intimations of John Coltrane’s explorations, especially on an aggressive “Are You Real?” The heavy, breathy vibrato of Thompson, most prominent on a very slow “April in Paris” from 1959, became much less pronounced over the years, as tracks from the ’80s on confirm, but Golson never lost that edge of velvet in his tone, nor that commitment to melody that make his solos on “Five Spot After Dark” (1997) and “Killer Joe” (2004) so warmly engaging.
George Kanzler (All About Jazz)
Personnel: Art Blakey, Ray Bryant, Paul Chambers, Kenny Dorham, Ray Drummond, Art Farmer, Tommy Flanagan, Curtis Fuller, Gigi Gryce, Barry Harris, Eddie Henderson, J.J. Johnson, Wynton Kelly, Marvin “Smitty” Smith, Arthur Taylor, and others.
Original Release Date: January 20, 2009 – Label: Concord Music Group
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Across Rhythm 