Fumi Tomita Featuring David Detweiler Celebrating Bird/ A Tribute To Charlie Parker

Fumi Tomita Featuring David Detweiler
Celebrating Bird/ A Tribute To Charlie Parker
Next Level Records

Bassist Fumi Tomita leads a quartet in an unusual celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Charlie Parker. With saxophonist David Detweiler, they have composed eight compositions that are contrafacts of Parker standards. Joining them are pianist Art Hirihara and drummer Jimmy McBride. Contrafacts are new melodies based on familiar chord changes. Some of Parker's most famous compositions are contracts such as "Koko" based on "Cherokee," "Ornithology" based on "How High the Moon," "Anthropology" and "Moose the Mooche" both based on "I Got Rhythm," and "Bird of Paradise," based on "All The Things You Are."

In the spirit of Parker's compositions, Tomita and Detweiler each have composed four tunes that are contrafacts of compositions of Parker or of tunes he was associated with. Things start with a neat original blues by Tomita, "Oceanology," which introduces us to this choice group. With Tomita's powerful bass lines and Detweiler's robust tenor sax, evocative of Dexter Gordon, this is a terrific small ensemble with Hirihara's fluid piano and McBride's crisp, nimble stick work. Detweiler's "Bird's Yard" is a brisk swinger derived from "Yardbird Suite." Detweiler superbly negotiates the changes displaying a robust tone followed by Hirihara's formidable bebop solo. Then there is a dynamic "Bird Dreams," based on the chord changes of "Cherokee," that was the basis of "Koko," which featured some of Parker's most staggering, virtuosic playing. Detweiler more than acquits himself with his fiery playing on this.

A couple of the tunes are Detweiler's contrafacts of Parker's recordings with strings. "Waltz of the Moon" is based on "East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)," while "Intersection" is derived from Neal Hefti's "Repetition." On "Waltz," Detweiler and Hirihara invest their solos with a genial swinging lyricism. Tomita's "Alice Changes" is a reworking on Parker's "Au Private" that begins with the leader's impressive soloing, followed by Detweiler's vigorous, fluid tenor sax, Hirihara's splendid piano and McBride's taut, focused solo. It is another excellent track on a consistently outstanding recording full of imagination and superb performances.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is "Oceanology" from this album.