Ray Blue Work

Ray Blue
Work
Jazzheads

Tenor saxophonist Ray Blue is based out of New York who has been leading his own groups and recorded several CDs. He also has worked with such artists as Art Davis, Benny Powell, Eddie Henderson, the Charlie Persip Big Band, Wycliffe Gordon, Steve Turre, Ted Curson, and the Sun Ra Orchestra. The core band backing him on "Work" is Sharp Radway on piano, Jeff Barone on guitar, Essiet Okon Essiet on bass, and Steve Johns on drums. Also appearing are pianists Kirk Lightsey and Benito Gonzalez (each on two tracks), trombonist Ron Wilkins (on three selections), Belden Bullock on bass (one song), and Neil Clark on percussion (on three tracks).

Ray Blue is a straight-ahead saxophonist who has a warm tone and swings hard while wonderfully supported by a superior studio band. The title track is a lively Caribbean-spiced evocative of some of Sonny Rollins' compositions like "St. Thomas." As the group provides an infectious groove (aided by Clark's percussion), Blue introduces us to his velvety tone and fluid improvisation. Radway's sparkling solo follows this. There is a spirited, brief rendition of "Lift Every Voice and Sing," with Barone's horn-like guitar echoing Blue's tenor at times. Cannonball Adderly's "Sweet Emma" is taken at an appealing, lazy tempo with Wilkins adding his gruff trombone before Blue's brawny solo. Wilkins also adds his insistent trombone to the swinging interpretations of Jimmy Smith's "Mellow Mond," and George Coleman's "Amsterdam After Dark,"

Blues ballad playing is sublime as displayed his own "My Friend and I Took a Walk," with Benito Gonzalez on piano with John's brushwork exemplary. Gonzalez is also on one of two versions of "That's All," where Blue's cottony, measured playing would have brought a smile to Ben Webster. An equally marvelous rendition of this song done as a duo with Kirk Lightsey is the closing track. Lightsey and Bullock are present on a melodious ballad performance of "Teach Me Tonight."

Among other numbers here is a jaunty rendition of the old pop hit, "Our Day Will Come," and a swinging version of "Everything Happens To Me," that starts as a duet with Johns before the full band joins in. "Work" is an outstanding recording that showcases Ray Blue's marvelous, straight-ahead tenor saxophone.

I received a review copy from a publicist. This review appeared in the November-December 2019 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 387). Here is Ray Blue from 2012 performing "Work."

Andreas Varady The Quest

Andreas Varady
The Quest
Resonance Records

One of a number of younger artists Quincy Jones is currently championing, he discovered the Slovak Varady when introduced to him at the 2012 Montreux Jazz Festival when he was 12. Jones in the liner booklet states, "It's not every day that you see a 15-year-old playing like George Benson! There was something about him and he had the same type of spark that I had seen in some of the musical greats I previously worked with." Varady produced this recording and did all the composing and led this ensemble that includes his brother Adrian on drums, father Bandi on bass, fellow Slovak Radiska on saxophone and the brilliant Venezuelan-born pianist, Benito Gonzalez.

He may have been a prodigy when Quincy Jones first encountered Varady, who is of Hungarian Roma descent. Varady now displays not simply formidable chops, in what now might be considered traditional guitar vein of Montgomery, Burrell, Grant Green and the like, but is also a composer leading an excellent band. The brief "Lost Memories" introduces this ensemble with a dynamic groove as the leader's fleet runs are matched by the band. "Radio Joint" opens with Varady and Radiska playing the main theme over a repeated piano line before Varady generates a lot of heat in his solo before Radiska barrels forth in an energized post-Coltrane-mode as Gonzalez comps and solos in a manner akin to McCoy Tyner. Like Radiska, Gonzalez shows his own musical personality. There is subtle electronic effects employed at the closing portion of this performance. Gonzalez's lovely opening for "Follow Me" provides a tranquil beginning before the full band add a bit of energy with 15-year-old Adrian displaying a dynamic attack before playing more gently under the lyrical solo from Gonzalez. This is followed by the two brothers playing explosively together.

"The Time is Now" displays Varady's fleet and fluid attack along with his finesse in negotiating the changes, while the brief interlude "Patience" involves some evocative use of effects. The album gets its title from "The Quest to Dopeness." It opens with Gonzalez playing inside the piano with the two brothers add texture and colors before Varady and Radiska state the theme and negotiate the shifting tempos and melodic lines prior to the leader taking a crisp, fleet solo followed by the saxophonist's husky solo (even briefly quoting Coltrane). This is all set against the pianist's block chord and explosive drumming with the younger Varady soloing with the band riffing in support. "Story" is a beautiful composition with Varady and Radiska playing wonderfully in a lyrical manner. "Radiska" finds the group again in a post-Coltrane vein, with magical playing from Gonzalez who again channels Tyner . Also on this is  Varady's own scintillating solo and Radiska's strong sax here. One cannot lose sight of the superb work of Bandi and Adrian in providing a strong foundation. More electronic effects mix with a serene melody for the concluding "Outro."

This is the third recording from Andreas Varady, and showcases his considerable talents along with an excellent band resulting in this superb recording.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the May-June 2018 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 378), although I have made a few stylistic changes. Here is the promo video for this album.