Peter Hand Big Band Out of Hand

Peter Hand Big Band
Out of Hand
Savant

A few years ago, guitarist Peter Hand led a big band, featuring tenor saxophonist Houston Person on a wonderful live recording on Savant “The Wizard of Jazz: A Tribute to Harold Arlen.” The Peter Hand Big Band returns with a new studio recording, also on Savant, “Out of Hand.” Again, Person is present (on three selections), and a number of top-notch players are heard here including saxophonists Bruce Williams, Kenny Berger, Don Braden, and Ralph LaLama; trumpeters Eddie Allen, John Bailey and Valery Ponomarev; trombonists John Mosca and Vincent Gardner; and a terrific rhythm section of pianist James Weidman, bassist Harvie S and drummer Steve Johns.

Person is featured on three selections, a swinging rendition of Bobby Hebb’s “Sunny”; the classic Harold Arlen torch song “Blues in the Night”; and the Strayhorn/Ellington classic “Day Dream.” Person brings his warm, rich tone and the melodic quality of his improvisations set against Hand’s wonderful arrangements as well as Hand's own clean, crisp guitar. On the opening Sunny,” trumpeter Ponomarev takes one of several sharp-toned solos that exhibit an authority similar to that of Person. Selections like these evoke a classic Oliver Nelson Big Band album “Live in Los Angeles” that featured guitarist Mel Brown on a couple selections as well as Nelson’s arrangements for some of Wes Montgomery’s Verve recordings.

Hand is a wonderful guitarist in the vein of a Montgomery, Kenny Burrell, Grant Green and the like with a definite blues sensibility. Hand’s original “Out of Print Blues” (called Out of Hand Blues” in Donald Elfman’s liner notes) is a nice swinging blues with strong solos from Bruce Williams, Harvie S and Vincent Gardner in addition to the leader. Another Hand original is the waltz “Listen to Your Heart” with its effective use of muted brass, flute, flugelhorn and soprano saxophone with Braden taking a nice soprano sax solo set against the riffing horns while Ponomarev is in more melodic vein.

Hand displays a romantic sensibility of a lovely ballad “Barbara Rose,” while the up-tempo “The Elevator” is a feature for LaLama’s robust and forceful playing and will evoke the Ellington classic “Cottontail.” After the light Latin groove of “Night Echo” (Hand, Bailey, and Weidman stand out here); we are treated the splendid “Day Dream,” before Hand enlivens “Summertime” with his arrangement in 6/4 and employment of flute, clarinet, bass clarinet and muted brass to provide musical colors for Allen’s vibrant trumpet and Weidman’s piano. It is a superb close to this splendid big band recording.

I received my review copy as a download from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the March-April 2015 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 359). Peter Hand Big Band has a new CD out that I will be reviewing shortly. Here is "Sunny" from "Out of Hand."

Ted Piltzecker Brindica

Ted Piltzecker
Brindica
Zoho Music

Originally a trumpet major at the Eastman School of Music and a member of the Jazz Ensemble under Chuck Mangione's direction, Ted Piltzecker started practicing vibes at the time and even wrote some vibes numbers while with the band. He became a full-time vibes player after a tour with The George Shearing Quartet. "Brindica" is his fifth album and first for Zoho Music, and the title reflects cultural influences from Brazil, India, and Africa but he also had stops in Bali, Cuba, Puerto Rico, New Orleans, and Harlem and have woven these diverse musical landscapes into the tapestry of this album.

Recorded in Argentina with a core group of drummer and co-producer Fernando Martinez, pianist Miguel Marengo, bassist Mauricio Dawid and alto saxophonist Carlos Michelini, "Brindica" also features guest appearances by trumpeter Jon Faddis, baritone sax player Gary Smulyan, tenor saxophonist Ralph Lalama, trombonist Matt Hall and steel pan/snare drummer John Wooton. Other guests include classical clarinetist Ayako Oshima and classical flutist Tara Helen O'Connor, and Cuban percussionist Jansel Torres on bata and conga.

Some of the musical influences are heard on the opening Afro-Cuban flavored, "Great Idea! Who Pays?" with Wooten's steel pans adding to the jubilant feel while Michelini adds some taut sax trading fours with the leader's shimmering playing on this joyful performance. Wooten switches to snare drum to help provide the Crescent City grooves of the infectious "Uncle Peck," with Faddis, Smulyan and Lalama weaving in and out of the leader's solo with Faddis blasting off with his solo. Pianist Marengo provides a compelling riff as well as an intricate solo on the Latin-flavored "Feliz Paseo" with another notable solo from Michelini and more infectious player by the leader and this splendid rhythm section.

The title track is a thoroughly-composed composition where Piltzecker blends rhythmic elements of Brazilian and African music. It showcases clarinetist Ayako Oshima and flutist Tara Halen O’Conner. The breezy "Look At It Like This" that was inspired by a trek through the Himalayas and the melody reflects the beautiful little pentatonic tunes sung by his guide Hari. Another selection of note is Taylor Burgess' hauntingly beautiful vocal interpreting Langston Hughes’ iconic poem "What Happens to a Dream Deferred?" with Piltzecker providing an elegant vibes solo.

With fresh, varied compositions, and wonderful performances, Ted Piltzecker has provided listeners with this marvelous recording.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review appeared in the March-April 2019 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 383), although I have may have made minor changes. Here is Ted Piltzecker playing Duke Ellington's In a Sentimental Mood.

Ralph Lalama's Hard Bop Bopjuice

A recent release by the SmallsLive label in its Live at Smalls series of recordings is one by the trio of tenor saxophonist Ralph Lalama, Bopjuice. Lalama, a veteran of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra is joined by Joel Forbes on bass and Clifford Barbaro on drums for six performances recorded live at Smalls Jazz Club in Greenwich Village that last about an hour.

An obvious point of comparison to this might be Sonny Rollins classic Live at the Village Vanguard recordings on Blue Note. From the opening take on Wayne Shorter’s Lester Left Town, through the closing moments of Wonderful, Wonderful, one is impressed by Lalama’s robust tone, as well as his lengthy thematic and melodic improvisations and the support he receives from Forbes and Barbaro, both who get their own spotlight. On the lively original Da-Lamma’s Da-Lemma, Lalama and Barbaro engage in a spirited musical dialogue. A ballad like Thad Jones Mean What You Say, displays a different side of his playing and sound.

Victor Young’s classic ballad, Love Letters, is taken at a brisker tempo and the tone and thematic develop might be the strongest here, but the level of Bopjuice’s music and this entire recording is first-rate. This is another excellent addition to the SmallsLive catalog.

I purchased this. Here is a sample of Ralph Lalama's tenor sax.

Unsung Tenor Master With Energetic New Disc

The following review appeared in the June 2009 issue of Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 317) and Lalama impressed this listener immensely.

Veteran tenor saxophonist Ralph Lalama has been playing for decades, and probably is most noteworthy for his work with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra on their long-standing Monday night gig at the fabled Village Vanguard, but has also been part of Joe Lovano’s Nonet. He has recorded several albums for the Dutch Criss Cross label. His most recent album is Energy Fields (Mighty Quinn) with a strong quartet filled out by John Hart on guitar, Rick Petrone on bass and Joe Corsello on drums for an interesting collection of material that is handled with robust authority throughout.

The disc opens auspiciously with a vigorous rendition of Woody Shaw’s “Moontrane,” followed by a boppish rendition of Charlie Parker’s “Buzzy,” with Hart and Lalama taking the head in a fashion akin to Parker and Gillespie. Hart’s fleet guitar with his single note runs punctuated by chords is a foil for Lalama’s vigorous playing with a sound at times suggestive of Sonny Rollins and Dexter Gordon. Lalama’s original “Nonchalant” showcases his ballad sense while Hart contributes a fresh arrangement to “Old Folks,” one of the staples of Ben Webster’s repertoire, but with Lalama’s strong playing following Hart’s initial solo, while his attack on “Like Someone in Love” is evocative of Rollins and Gordon in sound and approach

Other selections also taken at this high level include Wayne Shorter’s “United,” the classic ballad “Indian Summer,” and the swinging “Just in Time.” Lalama is marvelous through as is the entire group producing an excellent set of strong, contemporary jazz. This can be obtained at www.mighty-quinn.net or from amazon.

For FTC purposes, I received a review copy from the publication.

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