Perry Smith Quartet Live in Brooklyn

Perry Smith Quartet
Live in Brooklyn
Smith Tone Records

For 4 years, guitarist and composer Perry Smith, with bassist Matt Aronoff, has been organizing, cultivating and growing this jam session an all-inclusive, everyone-is-welcome "hang." It is now called "The Nest Session," because it is situated currently at The Nest in Brooklyn's Leffert's Gardens. This present recording was recorded at The Nest and has Smith and Aronoff joined by saxophonist Melissa Aldana and drummer Jay Sawyer.

Born in the San Francisco Bay area, Smith has degrees from the University of Southern California (where he studied with Joe Diorio) and New York University (where's he studied with John Scofield). As a guitarist, he generally blends the traditions of jazz with contemporary sounds. About this recording, he states that Wes Montgomery's "Full House" was a significant inspiration. Over the years I've always come back to it because the energy of the band is so joyful. The interactive playing is incredible and the scope of repertoire includes swinging tracks, straight grooves and beautiful ballads . . . a lifetime of inspiration," He notes that this recording is "more straight-ahead than my previous recordings."

A superficial comparison can be made of the performances here to the Sonny Rollins Quartet with Jim Hall. This is only a reference point as Smith and Aldana bring their own vibrant musical voices here. The opening "Starlit Skies" (one of 3 Smith originals) opens with Smith lyrical horn-like lines followed by Aldana's full-throated thematic soloing. Note should be made of the swinging accompaniment throughout by Aronoff and Sawyer. Sawyer kicks off the heated "Premonition" (another original with Smith and Aldana again both in full flight. Smith opens the standard "Don't Worry 'Bout Me" with some honeyed playing followed by Aldana's exquisite solo. The rendition of "All The Things You Are" is equally sublime. Another original, "Golden Days," an appealing contrafact of "Yesterdays," opens as a duet with bassist Aronoff with another engrossing solo from Aldana. Perhaps the highpoint of this CD is a fabulous interpretation of Sonny Stitt's "Eternal Triangle," taken at a blazing tempo with Aldana and Smith both at the top of their game. Sawyer takes a high energy drum solo here.

Listening to this recording makes me want to check out Perry Smith's earlier albums. He is excellent in the straight-ahead vein of this recording. Melissa Aldana astonishes and indeed has established herself as one of today's foremost jazz tenor saxophonists (not to mention a composer as she displays on her own recordings). With a tight band and their superb playing, "Live in Brooklyn" is simply outstanding.

I received from a review copy from a publicist. Here is a slightly different version of the Perry Smith Quartet performing Charlie Haden's "Waltz For Ruth."