Although he’s been on albums as a sideman for the likes of Van Morrison, George Benson and Freddie Hubbard, David Garfield’s own albums have been rare treats. The pianist/keyboardist has finally put out a new one, the fresh and vibrant Jazz Outside the Box, and he debuted its music Tuesday night to fill Catalina’s with a groove sauce that was thick and rich.
With an all star collection including Eric Marienthal/as-ss, Tony Palizzi/g, Gianluca Palmieri/dr, John Pena/b and Richie Garcia/perc, Garfield opened up with his own funky “Desert Hideaway” that mixed Marienthal’s searing alto with hip keyboards and slick guitar strummings, while switching to piano for his “Harvest Time.” Pena’s warm supple solo veered around Marienthal’s sweet soprano while the rhythm mixed upbeat pulses to the melodic and upbeat theme.
Garfield showed his talent for adding new flavors to jazz and pop standards as well. With his rich chords leading the way, his read of tThe Horace Silver classic “Song For My Father” was freshly polished with Garcia’s percussion, while a take of Sting’s “Fragile” melded Andalusian acoustic strums by Palizzi with passionate vocals by the soulful Leslie Smith while Garcia’s cajon work evoked folk moods from afar. Exotic moods continued as the lithe Liliana de los Reyes delivered a McCool and dreamy take of the 70s hit “Lovin’ You” before Garfield and company turned it into a seductive mambo. She then carried a torch as Marienthal serenaded her and Garfield supplied the soft keyboard framework for a passionate “Get Here.”
The glory days of funky fusion were brought back to life as the core rhythm team dug in with a hip and rollicking take of Joe Sample’s “Rainbow Seeker” before the whole band returned, with even tenor sax titan Larry Klimas jumping on stage and getting into the act for a two tenor avalanche of (yes, it’s true!) “Georgy Porgy.” By closing the evening out with a swinging children’s tune, Garfield showed the audience something that today’s musicians sometimes overlook, that “jazz” is a verb, and tonight the mood was jazzed up.
Upcoming shows at Catalina’s include Doug Webb 06/14, Tuck and Patti 06/15-16, Monty Alexander 06/22-23 and Jane Monheit 06/30-07/01