Naama Gheber Dearly Beloved

Naama Gheber
Dearly Beloved
Cellar Music Records

Israeli-born singer Naama Gheber makes her debut on a program taken from the American Songbook. The trio of Ray Gallon on piano, David Wong on bass, and Adam Kimmel on drums, back her. This trio accompanied her at a year-long residency at New York's Mezzrow Jazz Club. Vibraphonist Steve Nelson guests on five selections. Gheber fell in love with the American Songbook while studying at Tel Aviv's Center For Jazz Studies. "I immediately felt at home with standards and worked on finding my own voice within them." For this recording, she choose songs with deep personal significance. "Recording songs that I feel strongly connected to was a way to bring myself to the album."

With her perfect pitch, musical and swinging phrasing, and delivery of lyrics, Gheber's singing will charm listeners. Her lovely singing is full of warmth and wonderfully backed throughout. Opening with the Kern & Mercer composed title song, she displays a lyricism and romantic tone that is complemented by Nelson's shimmering vibes and the swing of the rhythm section as she easily negotiates the changes meter. The mix of understatement with the longing she expresses makes her rendition of "So In Love" some engrossing. Bassist Wong is an anchor here while Kimmel adeptly adds rhythmic coloring. Wong's bass sets the tempo behind her horn-like phrasing on a brief, brisk "'S Wonderful." Pianist Gallon dazzles while Kimmel takes a drum solo.

This writer is a sucker for interpretations of Buddy Johnson's classic ballad, "Since I Feel For You." Gheber's performance is outstanding as she brings out every nuance of the lyrics. Then there is a bouncy I Can't Give You Anything But Love," with Nelson taking a sparkling solo before trading fours with Kimmel. Nelson's playing adds to the dreaming opening of "You Stepped Out of a Dream." There is also the sober, melancholy of "Get Out of Town," and the coquettish playfulness of "i." On the latter tune, she interpolates, "Don't Get Around Much Anymore." Gallon, besides helping on Gheber's arrangement, plays a stunning solo.

The album closes with a mix of "Good Night My Love" with an Israeli lullaby, "Layla Tov," with Nelson elegant vibes adding color under her choice vocal. It provides a coda to a splendid debut of a jazz singer we will undoubtedly hear more of in the future.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here Naama performs "Dearly Beloved."

Dave Stryker Eight Track Christmas

Dave Stryker
Eight Track Christmas
Strikezone Records

Dave Stryker's Eight Track series of recordings has been straight-ahead jazz comfort food of a high level. Here, guitarist Stryker is joined by vibraphonist Stefon Harris, organist Jared Gold, and drummer McClenty Hunter. On one track of this 10-track CD of Christmas favorites, Steve Nelson replaces Harris on the closing track "O Tannenbaum.".

Like the previous albums, the performances are delightful renditions of familiar songs that are performed with spirit, humor, and imagination. Harris' at times shimmering vibes complements Strykers, fleet lean lines and solo note runs with Gold providing a greasy organ foundation and Hunter pushing the song along crisply. The performances are both melodic and inventive, and the interplay is marvelous. In addition to well-known carols such as "Greensleeves" and "We Three Kings," songs performed include Donny Hathaway's "This Christmas," to John Lennon's "Happy Xmas (The War Is Over)," and "Blue Christmas."

"This Christmas" opens this splendid recording with some dazzling playing followed by "Greensleeves," with Stryker's solo ingeniously working over the changes with Hunter's shimmering cymbals bring the tune to a close. An imaginative rendition of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman," is pushed along by Hunter's funk groove. The funk groove also is present on a vibrant "Soulful Frosty," Steve Nelson's mash-up of "Soulful Strut" with "Frosty the Snow Man." There is an alluring, reflective interpretation of Vince Guaraldi's "Christmas Time Is Here," with an enchanting vibes solo. "Sleigh Ride" is an exhilarating romp with Gold's dazzling organ followed by Stryker's scintillating fretwork. Elvis' "Blues Christmas" is given a well-played bluesy interpretation although the tempo drags a bit.

"Eight Track Christmas" is another wonderfully played chapter in Dave Stryker's series. Mixing in familiar material with his arrangements and his superb band, Dave Stryker has a holiday recording with several performances that will be enjoyed year-round.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is "O Tannenbaum."

Dave Stryker Strykin' Ahead

Dave Stryker
Strykin' Ahead
Strykezone

Guitarist Dave Stryker returns with his 28th album as a leader with the same supporting cast as last year's "Eight-Track II": his working organ trio of Jared Gold on organ and McClenty Hunter on drums augmented with vibraphone player Steve Nelson, the same configuration as on that recording. Unlike that recording's focus on pop hits of decades past, the present album features his originals along with re-harmonizations of several jazz standards.

His time with Jack McDuff and Stanley Turrentine certain are evident on the opening 14 bar blues, "Shadowboxing," with some strong organ in addition to guitar. It is followed by a nice "Footprints," that starts off in an understated fashion with intriguing chordal variations on Wayne Shorter's classic number as the performs starts simmering with a building intensity. Nelson provides a different tonal voice with his shimmering playing here followed by some more impressive guitar with Gold's organ smoldering as the performance reaches its end. Another original follows, the swinging "New You," a contrafact of the oft-played "There Will Never Be Another You," which was inspired by the Blue Note recordings of Larry Young, Grant Green and Elvin Jones.

There is an exceptionally lovely rendition of Billy Strayhorn's "Passion Flower," followed by the lively title track and then another excellent, atmospheric late night blues, "Blues Down Deep," with Stryker's technique, restraint, taste and imagination at the forefront. A bright rendition of Clifford Brown's "Joy Spring," with some lovely unison playing from Stryker and Nelson along with some of Stryker's most scintillating fretwork is followed by a enchanting "Who Can I Turn To," with some peppery guitar, and surging organ from Gold.

The album closes with a spirited "Donna Lee," with fast fluid fretwork along with Nelson's nimble mallets. I haven't mentioned Hunter, but his crisp, imaginative stick work adds rhythmic accents as well as drive these marvelous performances forward. With his latest, Dave Stryker continues to impress with his imaginatively conceived and superbly played recordings.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the September-October 2017 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 374). Here is Dave Stryker performing at Small's in New York City.

Dave Stryker Eight Track II

Dave Stryker
Eight Track II
Strikezone

This is a followup to guitarist Dave Stryker's 2014 recording "Eight Track." In the notes to that release, Stryker observed that the 70's (the time of eight track decks) was “a time when there was a lot of great pop music going on as well as jazz.” On that album, his trio of organist Jared Gold and drummer McClenty Hunter was augmented by vibraphonist Stefon Harris. Gold and Hunter are back for this date, but once again he has added a vibraphonist to the organ trio, in this case Steve Nelson.

There is plenty of pleasures on this new collection of grooves as he re-imagines songs from The Isley Brothers, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Prince, Cream, The Zombies, James Ingram and John Barry. This is music that is breezy, funky and definitely tied to a groove with Nelson adding unusual textures to the unusual twists taken on a reflective "What's Going On," a driving "I Can't Get Next To You," a bouncy "Time of the Season," a dreamy "Midnight Cowboy," a recrafted "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours," and an organ based shuffle reworking of "Sunshine of Your Love," that sounds like something he might have played with Brother Jack McDuff in the 1970s.

Throughout Stryker displays his clean, imaginatively executed playing while Gold digs deep in the grease with Nelson's shimmering vibes provides additional musical delights for this second helping of organ jazz transformations of 70's pop. And let us not forget Hunter's solid swing driving these performances along. We will need to hope for for Eight Track III in a couple years.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the September-October 2016  Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 368). I have made minor changes to that published review. Here is "Trouble Man."

 

Plenty of Life in Fathead's Horns

The High Note Recordings by David ‘Fathead’ Newman certainly add to his considerable body of work that has been recorded over six decades. There are the tenor solos he added to Zuzu Bollin’s Texas R&B guitar boogies, and his standout work with Ray Charles’ band in the late fifties as well as many albums under his name including some for Atlantic while with Charles’ Band. Life is his latest disc and produced by Newman & Houston Person, Newman is the only horn on this date, playing alto, tenor and flute. Others on this session are Steve Nelson on vibes, David Leonhardt on piano, Peter Bernstein on guitar, John Menegon on bass and Yoron Isreal on drums. Its a session of classic songs and standards from the lovely opening ballad, Girl Talk, with some rhapsodic tenor to the closing rendition of John Coltrane’s, Naima. John Hicks Life is a brisk waltz with Newman switching to flute is the only song that is not a ballad. Other numbers on which Newman displays his fluency on the flute are I Can’t Get Started, and What a Wonderful World, the latter number being a wonderful interpretation of a song best associated with Louis Armstrong as he improvises off the lyrics, an approach that characterizes his tenor playing on Alfie and his alto sax on Autumn in New York. Other highpoints include lovely renditions of Duke Ellington’s Come Sunday, and John Coltrane’s lovely Naima. Pianist Leonhardt provided the arrangements including the pleasing voicings he provides Newman’s horn along with the piano, guitar and vibes that enhance the performances. Newman comes off as a ballad master with a terrific band here. Certainly a wonderful disc to relax and listen too, although some might have wished a couple more numbers had been included with a brisker tempo.