Last year’s Magic 101 by the late Frank Wess was on my Top Ten list of releases for 2013, and the second part of that set, issued here, shows beyond doubt that the testimony of the departed can still speak to us.
It’s essentially the same team that joined up with Wess on the previous 2011 session, namely Kenny Barron/p, Russell Malone/g, Rufus Reid/b and Winard Harper/dr. The subtle swinging interplay on “It Could Happen To You,” or the fun backbeat moaning on “Blues for Ruby” demonstrate a sound and style that is sadly becoming extinct, since so few sax players nowadays develop their styles in a big band and learn how to “tell a story” besides “I know all of the chord changes by heart.”
This one is different from the earlier release in that it also includes Wess on flute, and he does an unaccompanied take of “The Summer Knows” that will make your jaw drop. He also shows that style, taste and tone win the day in a pair of duets. With Barron, he makes “Embraceable You” as longing as possible, and with Malone he glows a regretful ember on “A Cottage For Sale.” Is there anyone out there that is going to take this mantle, or are we stuck with heartless dizzying chops for a generation? Essential life affirming sounds.
IPO Records