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Live in Hawaii
Dmac Music
Guitarist Doug MacDonald began his career in Hawaii before establishing himself in Southern California. His latest recording comes from a November 2019 performance at The Atherton Performing Arts Studio of Hawaii Public Radio. Joining him are Noel Okimoto on vibraphone, Dean Taba on bass, and Daryl Pellegrini on drums. MacDonald notes the unusual presence of a vibraphone in a guitar-led quartet. "Replacing piano with vibraphone lends a different artistic expression, and the harmonic constraints of four mallets offers me a different space to solo and develop chord melodies." On MacDonald's website, he likens this quartet to the Red Norvo Trio with drums added.
The album starts with an effervescent take on "My Shining Hour," which provides all four opportunities to solo. MacDonald impresses with his cleanly shaped lines and crystal clear tone. Okimoto's shimmering vibraphone provides an open base for MacDonald as well his solos as MacDonald comping. Bassist Taba anchors the music while also laying down robust solos, while Pellegrini ably propels the music while also taking crisp, focused drum solos. MacDonald contributed a couple of originals like the breezy "Cat City Samba" with Okimoto's crystalline solo followed by the leader's well-shaped, prickly solo. Then there is the easy rocking treatment of Oscar Pettiford's "Blues in a Closet" that bassist Taba takes the lead on. Like all the tracks here, the pace of the performances is spot on. "Star Eyes" is given a Brazilian-bebop fused performance. The performance of "Lester Leaps In" may be the highpoint of this set, with Okimoto dazzling as is MacDonald when the two trade fours.
Doug MacDonald's band is first-rate and sounds like they have been playing together for some time. With the strong selection of tunes, and top-flight soloing, he has produced another excellent album.
I received my review copy from a publicist. Here with a slightly different quartet, Doug MacDonald performs "Lester Leaps In."
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