Ralph Bowen – Soul Proprietor (2002 – Criss Cross)

As revolutionary as the compact disc has been to the music industry, sometimes you really can have too much of a good thing. More specifically, I can’t help but echo what producer Michael Cuscuna once told me about new releases. He bemoaned the fact that many of today’s discs are just too long, wearing out their welcome way before concluding their run, and I can’t help but admit that after about 50 minutes or so my attention starts to wander. So what does all this have to do with saxophonist Ralph Bowen’s most recent Criss Cross session as a leader? Well, at just about 70 minutes in duration, Soul Proprietor is definitely on the long side, but it holds up extremely well thanks to a great program of standards and originals and a cohesive ensemble that locks in tight for the duration.
Bowen first came to the fore as a member of the hard bop unit Out Of the Blue in the ‘80s. Since then the saxophonist has kept a low profile, active mainly as a college educator, yet his stature as a mature soloist has not diminished. Although he had previously recorded a set for Criss Cross many years ago, Soul Proprietor is a return to form and it features an outstanding rhythm section with organist Sam Yahel, guitarist Peter Bernstein, and drummer Brian Blade. As an added bonus, trumpeter John Swana fills out the front line on several tracks giving things an updated groove in the lineage of Larry Young’s Unity.
Bowen’s husky tone brings on “Invitation” with confidence, Swana quickly falling into the mix with his own distinctive voice. Things unfold in a relaxed manner, Bowen preferring to use space rather than cramming every beat with rapid flurries of notes. Peter Bernstein opens the title track and sings the melody in uncluttered fashion before stepping aside for Bowen to launch his initial gambit. “My Ideal” and “Peace” are spots where Bowen really gets to shine, the former a ballad feature and the latter a solo tour-de-force chock full of harmonics and over blowing. “Spikes” emerges as a cleverly disguised line built on Rhythm changes and at one point Swana and Bowen go at it without any accompaniment, their intertwined lines uniting in stimulating counterpoint. With a section in the odd meter of 7/2, Bowen’s “Meltdown” tackles Coltrane’s changes from “Countdown” but in a sage new way that offers a real challenge to all.
Of course, Yahel and Blade have worked together regularly, most recently as members of Josh Redman’s current trio, while the two joined forces with Bernstein on Yahel’s Criss Cross debut. Thankfully, Bowen and Swana have harnessed the power of this trio and the whole proves to be even greater than the sum of the individually gifted parts.
C. Andrew Hovan (All About Jazz)

Track List:
1- Invitation
2- Soul Proprietor
3- My Ideal
4- Spikes
5- Under a Cloud
6- The First Stone
7- Inner Urge
8- Meltdown
9- Peace 

Personnel
Ralph Bowen (tenor sax)
John Swana (trumpet)
Peter Bernstein (guitar)
Sam Yahel (organ)
Brian Blade (drums)

Original Release Date: March 12, 2002 – Label: Criss Cross

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Wycliffe Gordon – DigThis!! (2003 – Criss Cross)

Trombonist Wycliffe Gordon was the most adventurous musician to spin off from Wynton Marsalis’ orbit. Since his tenure with Marsalis, Gordon collaborated with everyone from revivalists in the Sidney Bechet Project to progressive composer Ted Nash and Randy Sandke’s Inside Outside project, which brings together practitioners from the musical extremes. He’s been more restricted in his own solo dates but has shown he’s willing to reach beyond the confines of traditional hard bop. Dig This!! finds him employing the fashionable textures provided by the Hammond organ. True to form though, Gordon refuses to get locked into the funk clichés of the organ combo sound. Rather with its wide-open swing feel Dig This!! comes off more as a contemporary version of swing trombonist Vic Dickenson’s 1952 quartet dates with Bill Doggett. Certainly “Limehouse Blues” fits the mold, albeit updated. And Gordon’s unaccompanied playing on “Blues Etude #2” and elsewhere shows him a fitting successor to Dickenson’s rubbery expressionism. Gordon has surrounded himself with a fine band. Organist Sam Yahel and guitarist Peter Bernstein each reveal a debt to their swing precursors while saxophonist Seamus Blake plays in a hard-driving contemporary manner. All of them swing, and regardless the context Gordon puts himself in, that’s a constant.
(All Music Guide)

Track List:
1. Dig This!!5:59
2. Mahajual7:54
3. Old Man Blooz, Take 28:17
4. Limehouse Blues7:21
5. The Beautiful Souls4:16
6. Jookin’ the Blooz5:03
7. Lonnie’s Lament7:28
8. I Can’t Get Started5:19
9. Cone’s Tune5:18
10. Blues Etude #22:48
11. Old Man Blooz, Take 1

Personnel:
Wycliffe Gordon  (Trombone)
Peter Bernstein (Guitar)
Seamus Blake: (Tenor Sax)
Sam Yahel  (Organ Hammond)
Bill Stewart (Drums)

Original Release Date: September 23, 2003 – Label: Criss Cross

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