Al Muirhead Quintet -Live from Frankie's & The Yardbird

Al Muirhead Quintet -Live from Frankie's & The Yardbird - Chronograph Records

This album captures Canadian trumpeter Al Muirhead in two performances from a 2018 Canadian Jazz Festival tour. Muirhead, whose career spans eight decades (he first recorded in 1953), leads a top-flight quintet on these recordings. Common to both performances are Muirhead on bass trumpet and trumpet, Kelly Jefferson on Tenor Saxophone, and Neil Swainson on bass. Guitarists Reg Schwager and Jim Head, and drummers Jesse Cahill and Ted Warren round up the players on performances from Yardbird Suite in Edmonton, Alberta, and Frankie's Jazz Club in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Before the tour, a setlist of jazz standards was provided for the improvisations. Muirhead writes, "What you are about to hear is not your usual slick, well-rehearsed, beautifully arranged recording. It is music being performed by a group of musicians, some meeting for the first time on the bandstand, playing the music they love. It is raw, spontaneous, and more importantly, it is real. Musicians working together, knowing their roles, their functions, listening to one another to make music." 

Muirhead's is heard primarily on bass trumpet, which one might mistake for a trombone. He and Jefferson are terrific on Sonny Rollins' "Tenor Madness," on which everyone solos. Different performances of the jazz classic open and close this album. Muirhead exhibits a definite warmth and somewhat wooly texture to his sound on the classic ballad "Emily." At the same time, he certainly can build heat playing bass trumpet as he exhibits on Clifford Brown's "Joy Spring." Jefferson impressed this listener throughout with his full-bodied tone, fluid playing, and imaginative, lyrical improvisations. His open trumpet playing is stellar on "Mona Lisa." Guitarist Head shines with his fleet playing on "Emily," while guitarist Schwager dazzles on "Joy Spring."

Listeners will find plenty of heat and heart in this album." Live from Frankie's & The Yardbird" brings together some first-rate, straight-ahead bop and swing characterized by a top-notch ensemble playing and outstanding soloists.

I received a download to review from a publicist. Here is a short soundcheck of "Emily."

Al Muirhead's Canadian Quintet Undertones

Al Muirhead's Canadian Quintet
Undertones
Chronograph Records

Western Canadian Jazz Icon, Al Muirhead, came to wider prominence in North America with the release of his JUNO-nominated debut album ‘It’s About Time’. At the age of 82 years old, he is making up for lost time with his fourth release in just three years. This recording features Al on the rare bass trumpet with his new Canadian Quintet, all Canadian jazz heavyweights: Kelly Jefferson (sax), Reg Schwager (guitar), Neil Swainson (bass) and Ted Warren (drums).

Muirhead, as trumpeter, composer, arranger, sideman and recording artist has been making listeners take notice for longer than jazz fans might realize. Born in Regina, Saskatchewan, in 1935, he was playing in the Regina Symphony and dance bands by age 12. Muirhead started listening to and being influenced by the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and Louis Armstrong. While Muirhead’s playing is infused with the indelible influence of the jazz giants, he brought his own flowing, melodic sound to a career in which he has worked with legends such as Diana Krall, Paul Anka, Rosemary Clooney, Frank Mills and Dizzy Gillespie.

The bass trumpet looks like an oversized version of that brass instrument with a sound like a valve trombone. There are ten songs, eight of them are standards and two originals with the overall tenor of the music being swing to bebop. It is a swinging ensemble and Jefferson is a fine solo foil for Muirhead's melodic trombone sorties with a clean tone and a driving style while guitarist Schwager has more than several occasions to display a fluid attack and thoughtful solos. His comping and the support of Swainson and Warren help generate the nicely paced swinging performances.

The album opens with this he easy bluesy stride of "A Tune For Cal," written for the memory his older brother. Muirhead has an ear for classics of the big band including "Rose Room" that opens with his attractive playing followed choice solos from Jefferson and Schwager with the bass and drums providing a sure foundation as well as a solid bass solo. I'm am most familiar with "'Deed I Do," from the Count Basie recording featuring Jimmy Rushing in which Muirhead delights with his slightly gruff lyricism. The relaxed swing of the rendition of "You're My Everything" is followed by Muirhead's "Take It To Bank Tom," dedicated to Canadian musician Tommy Banks, and also has a bluesy feel in the leader's relaxed solo. It is followed by a marvelous interpretation of the Mancini and Mercer classic waltz, "Charade," with Jefferson's driving, searching solo contrasting with the leader's raspy, yet lyrical, playing.

After a lovely "I Don't Stand a Chance With You," with a splendid solo from Muirhead, the album closes with a spirited rendition of "Four Brothers," a number chosen to honor his sister Elaine, with solo spots to the entire band. Muirhead and his quintet are an impressive, swinging ensemble that have produced a wonderful swinging release.

I received a download to review from a publicist. Here is an interview with Al Muirhead.

Humphrey Lyttelton's In Canada

Delmark has another re-release on CD taken from the Sackville label, Humphrey Lyttelton's "In Canada." This was recorded in 1983 during the English jazz pioneer's second visit to Canada with the trumpeter and clarinetist backed by Jim Galloway on saxophones and clarinet, the highly underrated Ed Bickert on guitar, Neil Swainson on bass and Terry Clarke on drums. While initially heavily influenced by Louis Armstrong, Lyttelton matured and his repertoire had extended to into what was in a style the late Stanley Dance referred to as mainstream, reflecting the influences of Basie, Ellington, and Buck Clayton in addition to Armstrong.

Swing, not trad jazz, is the center of these eight Lyttelton compositions opening with "It's a Thing," with the leader playing muted trumpet after Bickert's sprite guitar helps set the lively mood with Galloway's soprano suggestive of Johnny Hodge's alto, and the three trade fours towards the end. Nothing fancy about the Ellington evoking "Sprauncy," with the leader perhaps taking a nod towards Cootie Williams with his muted while playing in unison with Galloway's baritone sax as Swainson took a crisp bass solo. The peppy and playful "Squiggly" contrasts with a lazy blues groove on "Looking For Turner." One can hear some evidence of Armstrong's influence on Lyttelton's open trumpet on "Lady Jekyll and Mistree Hyde," a nicely paced performance with more marvelous soprano from Galloway. "Leisure World" is a fine blues with Galloway on baritone, with Bickert's chords and single note runs and the rhythm duo of Swainson and Clarke delivery their steady, swinging support.

No claim of musical innovation is made about the swinging jazz heard on "In Canada," It is a simple, straight-ahead, wonderfully played recording that provides plenty of  sounds to sit back, listen and enjoy.

I received my review copy from Delmark. This review appeared orioginally in the May-June 2015 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 360). Here is a live recording (audio) of Humphrey in a more trad mode doing Benny Moten's "South."