Good vibes must be in the air, as THREE recent releases feature the percussive wonder, and in three different moods/environments.
Mr. Ho’s Orchestrotica Quartet features Brian O’Neill/vibe, Geni Skendo/fl, Jason Davis/b and Shane Shanahan/perc along with guests Teve Stevig/tanbur-oud and Noriko Terada/perc. The Central Asian strings fascinatingly mingle with the percussion and flutes on “ Chiseling Music” and “Sansaz” while a fun little rhumba glides along on “Would You Like Bongos With That Fugue?”. Gershwin dominates the latter half of the session with his Three Preludes melding the airy woodwind with pensive ricochete’s of sound. Gillespie’s “Ritual Mallet Dance” is lyrically lovely and Cal Tjader’s “Black Orchid” melds bank shots with elastic oud work. Wonderful!
I’ve been a fan of clarinetist Richard Stoltzman for decades, so what a surprise to hear his wonderfully talented wife bring together her husband, long time collaborator Eddie Gomez/b and producer Steve Gadd/dr for a thoughtfully stimulating collection of tunes. Many are written by another long time associate, Bill Douglas, who contributes the wondrous “Mikalypso” and “Jubilation” which both are augmented superbly by the Harlem String Quartet. Wondrous duets with hubby on “Pavane” and Gadd on “Crazy Marimba” make for a nice variety, while Chick Corea’s “La Fiesta” is both exciting and romantic. A surprisingly fresh and refreshing collection of sounds. YAY!
The collective personnel of Project Them consists of Mark Sherman/vibe, Bob Franceschini (of Mike Stern fame)/ts-fl, Martin Gjakonovski/b, Mitchel Forman/p-org, Adam Nussbaum/dr and Paolo Di Sabatino/p. The sounds and feel is mostly post bop and post modern, with a sauntering “Close Enough for Love” showing some latin flavor, and a hint of New Orleans on the snapping “Sleight of Hand.” A bluesy ballad “Short Swing” paves the way for a smoky B3 on “Angular Blues” and through it all, Francheschini’s smoky tenor and Sherman’s lithe vibes mix like sweet and sour sauce over orange chicken.