NEW YORK ALL STARS - Burnin’ in London
UBUNTU UBU0012
Eric Alexander - tenor saxophone; Harold Mabern - piano; Darryl Hall - bass; Bernd Reiter - drums
The band name, title and tracklisting on this new offering from the consistently excellent Ubuntu label could all be appended to an album released any time since the 1960s - a tenor-plus-piano-trio offering long, swinging workouts on classic Great American Songbook fare, recorded live in an intimate club setting - there’s even a version of that jam-session evergreen, Gershwin’s ‘Summertime’, to conclude.
However, this recording stands out in it’s crowded field by virtue of the sheer energy, taste and virtuosity of the performers. New-school traditionalists Eric Alexander, Darryl Hall and Bernd Reiter all combine superhuman chops with a complete understanding of the tradition, and the empathy between them ensures that for all the flash and fire of the performances there is no sense of excess or wasted notes - everything is informed by a clear sense of purpose. The blowing arrangements are deceptively informal but all reveal neat touches - like the sudden switch into 3/4 time at the end of Frederik Lowe’s “I Could Have Danced All Night” - that show the sure hand of a master guiding proceedings. At the heart of the ensemble is 82-year old veteran Harold Mabern, his ferocious imagination and power undimmed, his thrilling amalgamation of McCoy Tyner, Art Tatum and Phineas Newborn alternating between lushly florid and crisply hip, and always unfailingly swinging. It’s exciting to hear voicings and licks familiar from the classic recordings by Lee Morgan and Wes Montgomery reappear amidst the more contemporary language of the younger players, still sounding as fresh and vital as ever, demonstrating the strength and continuity of the tradition.
Every now and again we are reminded how far the base standard of instrumental technique has increased since the Golden Era - Alexander’s extended high register passage in “Almost Like Being In Love”, Reiter’s explosive trades on “I Could Have Danced All Night” and Hall’s super-fast 16th note solo passages on the sole original, Mabern’s “Nightlife In Tokyo”, are part of the contemporary currency, as is the general level of precision and power, but the connection to the fundamentals of swing is strong enough for the soul of the music to be retained. Highly recommended.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
UBUNTU UBU0012
Eric Alexander - tenor saxophone; Harold Mabern - piano; Darryl Hall - bass; Bernd Reiter - drums
The band name, title and tracklisting on this new offering from the consistently excellent Ubuntu label could all be appended to an album released any time since the 1960s - a tenor-plus-piano-trio offering long, swinging workouts on classic Great American Songbook fare, recorded live in an intimate club setting - there’s even a version of that jam-session evergreen, Gershwin’s ‘Summertime’, to conclude.
However, this recording stands out in it’s crowded field by virtue of the sheer energy, taste and virtuosity of the performers. New-school traditionalists Eric Alexander, Darryl Hall and Bernd Reiter all combine superhuman chops with a complete understanding of the tradition, and the empathy between them ensures that for all the flash and fire of the performances there is no sense of excess or wasted notes - everything is informed by a clear sense of purpose. The blowing arrangements are deceptively informal but all reveal neat touches - like the sudden switch into 3/4 time at the end of Frederik Lowe’s “I Could Have Danced All Night” - that show the sure hand of a master guiding proceedings. At the heart of the ensemble is 82-year old veteran Harold Mabern, his ferocious imagination and power undimmed, his thrilling amalgamation of McCoy Tyner, Art Tatum and Phineas Newborn alternating between lushly florid and crisply hip, and always unfailingly swinging. It’s exciting to hear voicings and licks familiar from the classic recordings by Lee Morgan and Wes Montgomery reappear amidst the more contemporary language of the younger players, still sounding as fresh and vital as ever, demonstrating the strength and continuity of the tradition.
Every now and again we are reminded how far the base standard of instrumental technique has increased since the Golden Era - Alexander’s extended high register passage in “Almost Like Being In Love”, Reiter’s explosive trades on “I Could Have Danced All Night” and Hall’s super-fast 16th note solo passages on the sole original, Mabern’s “Nightlife In Tokyo”, are part of the contemporary currency, as is the general level of precision and power, but the connection to the fundamentals of swing is strong enough for the soul of the music to be retained. Highly recommended.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
