Jazz Standards! The lifeblood of our music. How should they be approached?
Straightahead? A few tweaks here and there? Complete deconstruction? Here are a couple takes:
The Verve Jazz Ensemble is a classic quintet made up of Tatum Greenblatt/tp-fh, Jon Blanck/ts, Matt Oestreicher/p, Chris DeAngelis/b and Josh Feldstein. Greenblatt’s got a clean and sweet Kenny Dorham-styled horn, while Blanck’s earthy tenor is right up there in the Benny Golson red meat variety. The band goes through crisp and pressed standards like “Lady Bird” and “Jordu” that will get you snapping your fingers within 4 bars. A hip take of “Big Swing Face” sparks with energy, while “Boplicity” and “Days of Wine and Roses” has the rhythm team showing some great gear changing. Straight, and no chaser.
Electric bassist Jeff Berlin gets together with famed drummer Mike Clark and Richard Drexler/p-b for some fun and funky takes of jazz standards. Berlin’s bass takes the lead on clever readings of Wayne Shorter pieces “ESP,” “Fee Fi Fo Fum” and “Gaucho” while Drexler’s piano comes to the front on Pat Metheny’s “James” and Carla Bley’s “Vaskar.” The infectious grooves make this quite an enjoyable outing, and the unorthodox lead makes for original sounds and textures.
What a joy this last record is. Bassist Mark Egan, best known for his stint with Pat Metheny and his own band Elements, has one of the most identifiable and pleasant electric bass sounds around. Here, he teams up with kindred spirits John Hart/g and Karl Latham for a fresh look at jazz standards. Sure, you’ve heard material like “Old Folks,” “All Blues” and “My One and Only Love” a billion times, but these guys put an bit of funk and world music feel into the idiom, and it fits like a pair of blue jeans out of the dryer. The pair of Monk tunes, “Epistrophy” and “Bemsha Swing” have a sizzle that is irresistible, while “Footprints” has an alluring spacey-ness to it. Their interplay, particularly on the calypso “St. Thomas” is something that can only be achieved by artists who have this music in their dna. What a blast!!!
www.verve-jazz.com
Wavetone Records
1 comment for “STANDARDS DONE THREE WAYS-The Verve Jazz Ensemble: It’s About Time, Jeff Berlin: Low Standards, Mark Egan-Karl Latham-John Hart: Unit 1”