Dave Stryker With Bob Mintzer and the WDR Big Band - Blue Soul

Dave Stryker With Bob Mintzer and the WDR Big Band
Blue Soul
Strikezone Records

Guitarist Dave Stryker's latest recording dates from March 2019 when he recorded with the WDR Big Band with tenor saxophonist Bob Mintzer. Mintzer, who serves as the principal conductor for the renowned Cologne, Germany band, provided the arrangements. The material here includes several songs in the vein of the Eight-Track soul and pop songs Stryker has featured in some recent recordings. Also heard are Stryker's originals that are in a similar groove-based manner.

Obviously, there is a difference between Stryker's usual organ jazz combo and a big band. However, the finger-popping, soulful feel of these performances is similar, in part due to Mintzer's handsome arrangements. Stryker is terrific with his lithe single note, horn-like solos set against a relaxed swinging groove. There are several standouts in the big band, including the keyboards of Billy Test (whose organ playing is excellent), drummer Hans Dekker and Mintzer himself.

Standout tracks include renditions of a couple Marvin Gaye songs, "Trouble Man" and, "What's Going On." Karolina Strassmayer is impressive on alto sax while Billy Test plays some funky organ. Stryker's jaunty original "AHA" has a robust Mintzer solo along with one from Stryker. Another original "Blues Strut," has a relaxed marching groove and showcases Test and Mintzer in addition to Stryker's scintillating playing. An unexpected delight is the performance of "Prince's "When Doves Cry," with Stryker's lyrical statement of the melody set against brassy horns. In addition to Stryker's nimble fretwork, alto saxophonist John Hörlén exhibits a dry, bluesy tone.

Against the relaxed swing of "Wichita Lineman," Stryker makes use of the lower register of his guitar to state the theme before Andy Hunter's surging trombone. Mintzer and Stryker are the soloists on Stanley Turrentine's "Stan's Shuffle," that closes this recording. With varied music, Mintzer's terrific arrangements, and the first-rate backing of the WDR Big Band, Dave Stryker's "Blue Soul' is his latest memorable recording.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is "Blues Strut" from  this CD.

Wayne Alpern Skeleton

Wayne Alpern
Skeleton
Self-produced

The publicity for composer-arranger Wayne Alpern states that he "is a New York City composer, arranger, and scholar who integrates popular and jazz idioms with classical techniques and repertoire to create a sophisticated contemporary style of cross-genre or even post-genre music. … Alpern's innovative compositions, recompositions, and rearrangements have been performed and recorded by distinguished artists from diverse musical traditions."

Alpern describes "Skeleton" as "a new dance of old bones, songs of ourselves." Further, he writes, "I studied classical music, but grew up with Motown and played in rock bands. That's a resourceful (and characteristically American) aesthetic dialectic. I gradually came to view popular styles, conventions, and songs as treasures of aural archeology, found objects, musical tissue, vehicles for creative transformation to be re-purposed and revived as original art through the redemptive act of arrangement, rearrangement or recomposition at a higher level of synthesis."

For this recording, he assembled, to play his arrangements, a brass ensemble with shifting personnel and sometimes a rhythm section. There is one tune by Alpern along with compositions from Charlie Parker, Dave Brubeck, Jessie J, Richard Rogers, Joe Zawinul, Jerome Kern, Donald Fagen, Clifford Brown, and others. On the opening selection, singer-songwriter Jessie J's "Domino," two trumpets, two trombones, bass, and drums, deliver a fetching, lyrical performance highlighted by Michael Davis's trombone solo. Charlie Parker's "Anthropology" is performed at a relaxed pace by a trombone quintet and drums. Various members including, James Rogers on bass trombone, soloing. The intricate arrangement allows for fascinating interplay between the players.

Billy Test's piano introduces a swinging rendition of Brubeck's "Take 5," with David Smith's heated trumpet. Mike Boschen's euphonic trombone is spotlighted on a trombone quintet rendition of "Blue Moon." A trombone trio and full rhythm section interpret Joe Zawinul's classic "Mercy Mercy Mercy," with Jason Jackson's taking the solo while pianist Billy Test lays down bluesy chords and a brief solo. Sam Hoyt's fluegelhorn shines on Frank Loesser's "I've Never Been in Love Before," while Alpern's "Blue Bones" sounds like a Kurt Weill composition with four trombones prancing around. Bassist Evan Gregor and drummer Josh Bailey complement the playful spirit of the performance.

 A quartet of trombones (Noah Bless (trb), Matt McDonald (trb), Nick Grinder (trb), and James Rogers (btrb)), bass and drums charm us on Jerome Kern's "I'm Old Fashioned." The bass and drums introduce the same four on Mack Gordon and Harry Warren's "At Last," with Bless soloing. The album incorrectly attributes the song to Etta James, who had the most famous recording of this song. These four trombones also captivate listeners with their rendition of "If I Only Had a Brain," from "The Wizard of Oz." Other selections include a chamber music-grounded version of a Handel composition by a trombone quintet and drums. Billy Test's bass and Josh Bailey's drums lay down a reggae groove for trumpeters Sam Hoyt and David Smith along with trombonists Michael Davis and Nick Grinder on David Fagen's "I.G.Y." A mellifluous trombone quartet rendition of Clifford Brown's "Joy Spring," closes this album.

It was such a pleasure to listen to "Skeleton." Alpern's arrangements and the various configurations for brass ensembles have produced a thoroughly enchanting, irresistible recording

I received a review copy from a publicist. Here is a woodwinds quartet performing an Alpern arrangement of "If I Only Had a Brain."

 

Aimée Allen Wings Uncaged

Aimée Allen
Wings Uncaged
Azuline Music

One is struck by the performance of the Johnny Mercer-Hoagy Carmichael standrad, "Skylark" that opens this album by the command and presence of Aimée Allen along with the strong backing from bassist Francois Moutin (who has been playing with her for some time), pianist Billy Test and drummer Kush Abadey. She sings with clarity and on pitch, has a pretty wide vocal range while making subtle timbre changes as well as a phrasing that displays a strong sense of dynamics. Most importantly she simply has a lovely voice. The accompaniment is solid and their are imaginative solos from pianist Test (with his judicious use of dissonant chords) and bassist Moutin. "Skylark" is one of the six songs she provides fresh interpretations of and she herself has contributed five originals.

"Skylark" is followed by her original "Shooting Star," an original love song with bassist Moutin providing the only accompaniment for the first verse. It is a good introduction to her gifts as a songwriter, not simply a singer and once again Test and Moutin solo while Abadey colors the performance with rhythmic accents. This writer is most familiar with instrumental renditions of "Invitation," Allen does a marvelous job in delivering Paul Francis Webster's lyrics as she sings about someone being a great temptation. There is a strong bass solo on this. The pace slows down for "In My Web," a moody and dark ballad performance.

Of her originals, perhaps the most remarkable one is a topical song, "Democracy How (Harmony And Dissonance)." with its call of action, asking how we can participate in a system when truth is ridiculed and divisions weaken the common ground we share. She sings movingly about false stories set forth to deceive and divide, about that he need for individual and collective action because democracy is on the line. There is splendid rendering of Jobim's "Fotografia," sung both in Portuguese and English with just piano and bass accompaniment, as well as a marvelous duet with just Moutin's accompaniment on "Autumn Leaves / Les Feuilles Mortes," sung first in French and then English with her phrasing perhaps the most horn-like of the entire recording. On sublime covers of Buddy Johnson's classic ballad, "Save Your Love For Me," and "Midnight Sun," Abadey also sits out while Test plays with restrained elegance.

This is my first exposure to Aimée Allen, although apparently her fifth album. She definitely impressed this listener with some superb singing and material with first-rate backing.

I received as a download from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the November-December 2018 Jazz & Blues Reort (Issue 381). She is performing at Blues Alley in Washington DC on July 30th. Here is the video preview of this album.

 

Jon De Fiore's Yellow Petals

Drummer-composer Jon De Fiore leads his piano trio of bassist Adrian Moring and pianist Billy Test on a new recording, Yellow Petals (Third Freedom Music). The three have been playing together for four years resulting in the cohesiveness and empathy exhibited in playing De Fiore’s compositions that covers a range of settings and musical inspirations ranging from adaptation of a work by Chopin, to the musics of Spain and South Africa.

One can hear a definite influence of Bill Evans in the general tone of De Fiore’s trio with being a fluid, lyrical player while bassist Moring provides the axis for the trio’s interactions with De Foire himself quite a rhythmic colorist. The opening Demise, adapted from a Chopin prelude, provides little clue to its classical origins in the trio's inventive performance. The second composition Live For Tomorrow, Forget Today, is built upon a ostinato bass motif and De Foire’s shimmering cymbal work with some free,almost anarchic, piano from Test, along with dynamic drumming from the leader.

The music of Spain is the inspiration of Orange that opens with the leader’s intricate stick work that helps set the mood for Moring’s opening solo over the leader’s spare playing before fireworks in De Fiore’s solo and then Test. The spirited InKleined, is inspired by the Argentinean pianist and composer, Guillermo Klein,  who is a major influence on De Fiore. This performance exhibits the marvelous interplay between the three. Moring’s walking bass drives the spirited Where Does The Wind Blow, with Test generating plenty of heat as well.

The closing Yellow Petals, written in memory to De Fiore’s mother, is a moving and evocative performance which opens with spare solo piano before De Fiore and Moring join in with their own muted accompaniment and solo. It is a fitting end to a high-spirited, engaging piano trio recording

I received my review copy from a publicist.