Frank Lacy & The Smalls Legacy Band

 

Trombonist Frank Lacy has a weekly gig at Smalls, the Greenwich Village jazz club with his Legacy Band. Spike Wilmer got Frank Lacy & The Smalls Legacy Band a weekend to record them for the club’s SmallsLive label resulting in a new Live at Smalls recording. Joining Lacy that weekend is trumpeter Josh Evans, tenor saxophonist Stacy Dillard, pianist Theo Hill, bassist Rashaan Carter and drummer Kush Abadey.

Live at 2014 Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival

This is one superb band on a recording the evokes Blakey’s great bands with Wayne Shorter, Curtis Fuller and either Lee Morgan or Freddie Hubbard; Charles Tolliver’s ensembles; the great Woody Shaw groups (with Louis Hayes and after). The mood is set with Lacy’s  Stranded, and concludes with Freddie Hubbard’s The Intrepid Fox. The whole band is outstanding with trumpeter Evans playing with the fire and imagination that Hubbard and Shaw brought thirty-five years ago. Drummer Abadey stands out playiung with the explosiveness and nuance of Elvin Jones and Tony Williams.

Lacy is an unsung trombonist who can get gut-bucket with some tailgating on the trombone as well as navigate the more intricate changes in the compositions (including George Cables’ wonderful Think of Me that was on Woody Shaw's Blackstone Legacy LP). Lacy even sings on Carolyn’s Dance in a fashion not that far removed from Archie Shepp’s vocals on Shepp's recent Attica Blues Orchestra recording. His vocal may jar some, but is only a small part of one selection here.

This writer recently saw Lacy as part of a trombone summit with Delfaeyo Marsalis and Steve Turre. He impressed in that company and plays with so much of the personality he displays on this live recording. I would love to see him playing with this outstanding group.

I purchased this CD. Here is a small clip of him performing at Smalls.

Rick Germanson Quartet Live at Smalls

Among the latest batch of recordings of Live at Smalls on the Smalls Live label is one by the Rick Germanson Quartet. Pianist Germanson was joined that night by the trumpet of Dr. Eddie Henderson, the bass of Paul Gill and the drums of Lewis Nash. Germanson, best know for his association with Louis Hayes (especially the Cannonball Legacy Band), displays the influence of McCoy Tyner among others in his energetic playing.

On this date, backed by an excellent rhythm section, and benefiting from Henderson’s bright playing (in a Freddie Hubbard vein), he leads off with a driving interpretation of Bobby Timmons’ So Tired. Henderson employs a mute for a fresh and imaginative take on Surrey With A Fringe On Top, lending more of a Miles Davis’ tone here although the performances allude to the melody and chord structure of Surrey with little direct rephrasing or embellishment of the familiar melody.

Shorter’s Waltz is a Germanson original evocative of some of Shorter’s compositions with some strong work by Gill and Nash providing the base supporting more fine playing Henderson and Germanson. Playing solo, Germanson provides a lovely impressionistic rendering of Duke Ellington’s The Single Petal of a Rose, which is followed by another appealing ballad, Say It (Over & Over Gain), with Gill and Nash adding light, understated support.

A Germanson original, Edge brings Henderson back who plays in a fiery mode on this hard bop cooker. It closes another strong live recording of straight ahead hard bop from the Greenwich Village jazz club.

I purchased this. Here is Rick performing Bebop.

Ralph Lalama's Hard Bop Bopjuice

A recent release by the SmallsLive label in its Live at Smalls series of recordings is one by the trio of tenor saxophonist Ralph Lalama, Bopjuice. Lalama, a veteran of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra is joined by Joel Forbes on bass and Clifford Barbaro on drums for six performances recorded live at Smalls Jazz Club in Greenwich Village that last about an hour.

An obvious point of comparison to this might be Sonny Rollins classic Live at the Village Vanguard recordings on Blue Note. From the opening take on Wayne Shorter’s Lester Left Town, through the closing moments of Wonderful, Wonderful, one is impressed by Lalama’s robust tone, as well as his lengthy thematic and melodic improvisations and the support he receives from Forbes and Barbaro, both who get their own spotlight. On the lively original Da-Lamma’s Da-Lemma, Lalama and Barbaro engage in a spirited musical dialogue. A ballad like Thad Jones Mean What You Say, displays a different side of his playing and sound.

Victor Young’s classic ballad, Love Letters, is taken at a brisker tempo and the tone and thematic develop might be the strongest here, but the level of Bopjuice’s music and this entire recording is first-rate. This is another excellent addition to the SmallsLive catalog.

I purchased this. Here is a sample of Ralph Lalama's tenor sax.

Joel Frahm Quartet’s Live at Smalls

Small’s Live, the label associated with the Greenwich Village Jazz venue Small’s has issued several new CDs, one of which is Joel Frahm Quartet’s Live at Smalls. Tenor saxophonist Frahm is joined by guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel, bassist Joe Martin and drummer Otis Brown III (although the cover lists him as playing piano, he is pictured behind his drum set.

Recorded the weekend of February 28 and March 1, 2011, the album consists of five Frahm originals and interpretations of Billy Strayhorn’s Chelsea Bridge and Charlie Parker’s Steeplechase. I have been impressed by what I have heard by him in the past and was not surprised by the blues-drenched opener Short Rack that is in the spirit of some of the great instrumentals by the likes of Hal ‘Cornbread’ Singer and King Curtis with Rosenwinkel a nice solo foil for Frahm’s strong blues tenor.

It was some varied music at Smalls that weekend with interesting compositions such as A Little Extra with an unusual time signature followed by the groove inflected What’s You Beat? that includes some surprising twists and turns as the performance unfolds with Rosenwinkel’s guitar outstanding on this. Chelsea Bridge features some lovely playing from Frahm and the closing rendition of Steeplechase gives it a imaginative arrangement with Rosenwinkel opening up with an discursive solo followed by the leader’s spirited exploration of the theme.

As typical with Smalls Live recordings, sound in quite good and enhanced by the simple presentation with the black and white photography of Michelle Watt who also designed the cover in the attractive format of recordings on the label. This is another excellent album of contemporary jazz performances. Like other recordings in this series, it likely will have some look forward to visiting Small’s when in New York City.

This was a purchase. Here is Joel Frahm among a group performing at Small's.

Bassist Ben Wolfe led a terrific quartet at the Greenwich Village club, Smalls, for some hot music recorded for the club’s SmallsLive label as part of its Live at Smalls series. Joining Wolfe were pianist Luis Perdomo, trumpeter Ryan Kisor, saxophonist Marcus Strickland and drummer Gregory Hutchinson. They are heard on nine originals by the leader who shows himself to be quite the composer as well as bassist.

There is an ambience of classic Blue Note sessions from the sixties from the opening Block which evokes some of the Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock Blue Note Recordings from when they were in Miles Davis’ band on which Freddie Hubbard replaced Miles. Some outstanding playing from Kisor followed by Perdomo on this and Wolfe and Hutchinson are terrific with Strickland playing with fire. For the Great Sonny Clark has a nice loping feel and a very appealing theme with Wolfe taking the initial solo, followed by Kisor’s in a brassy, melodic vein and then a short fiery burst from Strickland with Perdomo contrasting with fluent, lyrical playing. Telescope is another bouncy hard bop number which has Strickland taking the initial solo with some strong playing that exhibits his individualistic sound and his ability to craft a solo. After Kisor and Perdomo have their features, Hutchinson takes concise, and exciting, solo.

A short, lovely ballad I’ll Know You More, opens with Strickland stating the theme displaying a warmth in contrast to more aggressive playing elsewhere as Hutchinson’s cymbals accent his deliberate playing. Czech Mate displays a Thelonious Monk flavor as Kisor and Strickland (employing the bottom register of the tenor) state the theme and Wolfe takes successive choruses before the horns take this out. Coleman Cab opens with a lengthy bass solo prior to the full band entering with interesting horn voicings and an outstanding solo from Perdomo.

The Trade, a brief duet between Wolfe and Hutchinson, is the final selection that concludes this superb recording. This is a recording I have been listening to repeatedly over the past couple weeks and one I am sure I will be returning to in the future. One can purchase this from SmallsLive directly as a CD or just a download (CD purchases include downloads) or from other vendors.

This was a purchase. Here is Ben Wolfe as a member of a different, but terrific, band.

Bruce Barth Trio's Live At Smalls' Piano Jazz

Among newer releases on Smalls Live in its Live at Smalls series is one by the Bruce Barth Trio. Pianist Barth is accompanied by the bass of Vincente Archer and drummer Rudy Royston on location recordings from the Greenwich Village club that captured a late September 2010 performance. I am most familiar with Barth from his work on Terrell Stafford’s excellent celebration of the music of Billy Strayhorn, This Side of Strayhorn, (MaxJazz), but this is first album under his name I have heard. He has a pretty extensive resume including a stint with Terence Blanchard and a number of prior recordings as a leader.

With the exception of a rendition of Good Morning Heartache, the trio performs Barth's original compositions. The opening “Oh Yes I Will is not typical of several performances in that it opens in a pensive, impressionistic manner before Barth’s playing builds heat while Royston pushing things along and Archer provides a steady anchor. Sunday opens somewhat in a similar fashion as it develops in a similar fashion before the arpeggios are contrasted with block chords before it closes more pensively. There is a lovely ballad Yama and the lovely version of Good Morning Heartache, finds Barth playing with great restraint and in a spare fashion while Royston provides understated percussive support.

This listener’s favorite track might be Almost Blues. This is a terrific, spirited hard bop blues with a Monkish tinge with some driving playing with Royston’s rhythmic accents pushing it along before he solos and then trades fours with Barth. Archer gets to solo on Peaceful Place and the spirited Wilsonian Alto which has a bit of latin spice in the performance. Afternoon in LLeida, is a lovely performance mixing in Barth’s manner of setting a mood while providing contrast with some bluesy passages.

As usual with SmallsLive recordings, this is handsomely produced and the sound is quite fine. Barth’s crisp, yet feathery touch is complemented by his sideman for a thoughtful and lively recording. I will be checking out some of his past catalog. Its available from SmallsLive directly or other vendors. 

I purchased this CD.  Here is Bruce Barth performing Wilsonian Alto from 1 2004 performance with a different trio.

Jazz Incorporated's Hard Bop at Smalls.

Among the latest batch of Smalls Live recordings from Smalls Jazz Club in Greenwich Village is one by Jazz Incorporated, “Live at Smalls. Jazz Incorporated is a quartet comprised of Jeremy Pelt on trumpet, Louis Hayes on drums, Anthony Wonsey on piano and Dezron Douglas on bass. Pelt and Wonsey have been associated with Hayes as part of the Cannonball Legacy Band while the Connecticut-born Douglas is new to these ears. This recording dates from August 2010 and is presented in the the attractive packaging Smalls Live employs, centered on striking black and white photographs.

There are six lengthy performances here with nearly an hour of hard bop with four vintage compositions mixed with a couple of originals. Art Farmer’s Punsu opens up and includes strong piano from Wonsey along with Pelt’s trumpet in the Clifford Brown-Lee Morgan vein. Hayes drives the group along while Douglas provides a solid anchor. Among other performances here is a sizzling rendition of Woody ‘N You, taken at warp-drive speed with Wonsey’s crisp and clean playing not fazed by the tempo, followed by some blistering playing by Pelt and a taut drum solo from Hayes. A nice contrast is presented by the Rogers and Hammerstein ballad We Kiss in the Shadow, with considerable warmth displayed by Pelt and lovely, restrained piano from Wonsey. Wonsey’s Hey Jimmy has a nice brisk walking tempo with a bouncy melodic line.

This is a live recording by a group whose familiarity with each other contributes to the strong, cohesive performances here. For more information on this check out www.smallslive.com. It can be downloaded or one can purchase as a CD which includes the ability to download it as well.

This was a purchase.

Cyrille Aimée's Captivating Jazz Voice

Watching the recent Thelonious Monk Institute Vocal Competition on a webcast, I was very intrigued by one of the finalists, a lady originally from France by the name of Cyrille Aimée. Shortly thereafter there was a New York Times story about her appearing at the Greenwich Village, NYC club Smalls Jazz Club. The story focused on her duets with pianist Spike Wilner who I believe is responsible for programming music at Smalls. He is the main person behind the club’s label, Smalls Live which has issued a number of live recordings from the club and amongst the latest releases is Cyrille Aimée & Friends Live at Smalls”

Wilner is the producer of this disc which was recorded late September 26 and 30, 20l0, and anchored the band that includes bassist Philip Kuehn, drummer Joseph Saylor, tenor saxophonist Joel Frahm, and trumpeter Roy Hargrove. There is a playful informality about the performances that add to its appeal. In the New York Times piece, Ben Ratliff described Ms. Aimée, “She’s alert and thoroughly engaged in the logic of moving harmony when she improvises, one of those singers whom nonsinging musicians call “a musician.”

From the opening notes of September In the Rain, she impresses despite (or perhaps because of) a somewhat limited vocal range (suggestive of Billie Holiday, but no way imitative of Lady Day) with horn like phrasing both in delivering the lyrics and scatting. And the band is terrific with Frahm shining on September, while Hargrove embraces the melodic qualities of Que Reste-t’il, which many of you will know from the English rendition, I Wish You Love. It should be noted that, unlike Roberta Gambarini whose vocals usually display no trace of her native Italian, Aimée’s French accent is evident, but adds delightful flavoring to her voice.

After the initial verse of a brisk Yesterdays, she takes a scat solo followed by Frahm and then Wilner, before she scats fours with drummer Saylor who sounds like he is using brushes. Ellington’s I Was Beginning to See the Light” starts as a duet with bassist Kuehn before Frahm enters on tenor for a solo followed by Kuehn’s solo. When Aimée returns with her vocal codaFrahm softly caresses her vocal. Love For Sale, opens with a drum intro with Kuehn joining in to set a second-line styled groove, followed by a brief call and response by Hargrove and Frahm. AImée enters at home with the lively groove “advertising her love” and her scatting set off by nice cymbal work by Saylor. Hargrove takes a nicely focused and short solo, followed by Frahm who is rocking and wailing. This is the longest track but seems to go so quickly. Other highlights include her rendition of Monk’s I Mean You, and the closing Stand By Me, where it sounds like she is joined by several other voices who are not identified.

Since first downloading this recording (I received the hard copy a few days later, along with several other Smalls Live CDs that I have purchased), I have found myself completely captivated by Cyril Aimée and this recording. There is a wonderful mix of material and a freshness to her treatment of the most familiar numbers. I trust you can sense my enthusiasm this recording, and look forward to the opportunity to see her in person (have to figure how to get to New York perhaps). This is available from the Smalls Live website, www.smallslive.com as either a download or hard copy (which includes the download).