Category: Reviews

Posted on by

“Dusted In Exile” reviews the new one by Michael Dease

Michael Dease – Decisions (Positone)

image

 

Julliard-educated and dapper in dress, trombonist Michael Dease is part of a vanguard of current jazz players that could be considered the latest iteration of the “young lions” ethos. Theirs is a time-tested musical blueprint that traces back through the Marsalises to the Fifties hardbop sound formed out of the work of icons on Dease’s instrument like J.J. Johnson and Curtis Fuller. Well-rounded in approach, Dease brings a clearly discernible set of influences to his seventh studio album Decisions for a program that capitalizes earnestly on both collective musicianship and resiliency of composition

Six originals vie with four pieces by other composers including the standard “You’re My Everything” and a lesser known Thad Jones chestnut, all rendered expeditiously in the four to six-minute range. Composition titles suggest topics both pop-cultural as with “Jason’s Gonna Get Ya”, a slick, funk-tilted ode to the titular sequel-spawning serial killer built on a sliding rhythm and a hot collides with cool dichotomy from the horns, and socially-conscious with the mournful, but comely ballad “Trayvon”. Bassist Rodney Whitaker threads fat, supple lines through both and pianist Glenn Zaleski in particular rises to the occasion of each of his solo features.

The disc’s opener “Grove’s Groove” stresses Dease’s skill at arranging slippery frontline harmonies as he an altoist Tim Green glide across the rhythm section’s sparkling accompaniment. Green’s tone conveys a tart piquancy that contrasts with the leader’s easy lubriciousness. “Gorgeous Gwen” belies its title with a forceful ensemble entry before the leader advances a probing, almost vocal, theme statement shadowed closely by Green. Drummer Ulysses Owens is especially effective, breaking up the rhythm with commanding snare shots and cymbal chatter and setting up Dease’s tune-stealing, slide-straining solo.

Placed at the album’s mid-point, the balladic title piece pivots off a mellifluous motif by Zaleski and into some sensuous unison playing by the horns. Solos from the leader and Whitaker, who ekes a big booming sound from his pizzicato patterns, decelerate smoothly into a declarative ensemble exit. “Right Place Wrong Time” resolves a knotty head with breezier blowing interludes and accentuating the tonal contrasts between the leader and Green who ends up absent on the final four cuts. His vacancy opens up a position of greater prominence to Whitaker strings and it makes for a good trade especially on the closer “The Big D”.

Dease and his ardently game cohort aren’t upsetting any apple carts with their stylish take on a widely-spoken jazz language. Modern renditions of hardbop are among the most abundant examples of the art form. Even so, an agreed upon embrace of ingrained familiarity doesn’t preclude the results from being any less palatable as a listening experience.

Derek Taylor

Posted on by

SomethingElse Reviews Joe Magnarelli “Three on Two”….

http://somethingelsereviews.com

Last year trumpet ace Joe Magnarelli put forth his first album under the Posi-Tone flag, but this was hardly the first time around the block for this respected veteran sideman and bandleader.Three On Two, out earlier this month, is his second for the label and also marks twenty years of leading his own dates.

As the title suggests, it’s a three horn/two-part rhythm section setup, but a little bit different than what you might think it’d be. Once again, the eminent Steve Davis is by Magnarelli’s side on trombone and Mike DiRubbo joins the two on alto sax. Rudy Royston is on drums and instead of bass, Brian Charette completes the quintet on organ. His handling of both the keyboard and the bottom (via bass pedals) chores effectively expands the ensemble to a sextet and few are better qualified to simultaneously lock down the low end and mix it up with a large front line of crackerjack horn players than Charette.

And in spite of this being a straight-ahead blowing affair in the finest Posi-Tone tradition, there’s quite of bit of mixing it up, starting with the title tune, with shifty rhythms and maximal, articulate trumpet playing by the leader. DiRubbo keeps the good vibe going and Charette put a soul-leaden cap on the solos run. Straightforward swingers abound on this collection, too, like the crisp, uptempo Coltrane number “26-2,” which features DiRubbo’s lively sax and some seriously sizzling outpouring of notes from Magnarelli. The guys show they can play it cool, too, on another Trane tune, “Central Park West,” where Magnarelli lays his soul bare and delivers a pretty solo on flugelhorn.

There’s even some fresh funk on this record: Magnarelli’s “NYC-J-Funk” gets down with a sly mixture of contemporary, almost hip-hop beats (led by Royston) and the soulful genius of Art Blakey’s Messengers; here, Charette syncopates his organ and bass pedal lines with easy equanimity.

The way Joe Magnarelli’s band members are pitted against — and with — each other through a solid blend of originals and covers makes Three On Two a gratifying way to experience mainstream jazz. Just like Magnarelli’s last release.

 

Posted on by

SomethingElse Reviews Michael Dease “Decisions”…

http://somethingelsereviews.com

 

I’ve might have said this before: Michael Dease is the rightful heir to the trombone legacy of Curtis Fuller, and even Fuller himself might agree. Rare is the trombonist who can match the technical proficiency, inventive phrasing and genuine feel that seems to come easily to Dease.

After making a triumphant foray into big band for his Posi-Tone debut Relentless, Dease gets back to small ensemble business for Decisions (August 28, 2015). Heading a five-piece band with Tim Green on alto sax, Glenn Zaleski on piano, Rodney Whitaker on bass and Ulysses Owens behind the drum kit, Dease makes good use of the talent he’s assembled using mostly his own compositions with a couple of standards tossed in for good measure.

Dease serves up prime post-bop in all sorts of flavors. “Grove’s Groove” has a nice shuffling groove courtesy of Owens’ precise drumming, but Zaleski’s spry solo is the high point of a series of fine solos by nearly everyone. The rhythm section forges a crisp, contemporary groove for “Jason’s Gonna Get Ya” that the horns nimbly syncopate around, but Dease composed a complexity to the song that goes well beyond being just a riff. He does the same for “Right Place Wrong Time,” a track where Green’s expressive alto steals the show. Whitaker’s taut bass work anchors a lilting swing for “Decisions,” again a highlight for Zaleski. And Owens gets to show off on the blues based “The Big D.”

Take those stellar individual performances away and you can still be blown be dazzled by Dease’s trombone. He makes it sing on “Gorgeous Gwen” and on ballads like “Everything Must Change” he knows just how much emotion to invest in his trombone to make it believable.

A model of consistency, style and grace, Michael Dease stays at the head of the class among jazz trombonists with his seventh album, Decisions.

 

Posted on by

Audiophile Audition reviews Joe Magnarelli’s “Three On Two”

Joe Magnarelli, trumpet – Three on Two [TrackList follows] – Posi-Tone

  

 

 

Joe Magnarelli – Three on Two – Posi-Tone Records – PR8142 – 55:42

Joe Magnarelli has been on our radar screen for some time. This is his 4th CD release we’ve covered since 2011. Beginning with his “with strings” CD in 2011, and following up with a live Smalls session in 2013 (with the late pianist Mulgrew Miller), Joe then signed with Posi-Tone for last year’s “Lookin’ Up”.

Joe is back with trombonist, Steve Davis, for another standout session. Posi-Tone has enhanced the hard bop front line with altoist, Mike DiRubbo, and added organist Brian Charette to add more “grease” to the mix. Drummer Rudy Royston is a spot-on choice to give the proceedings a true “Blue Note type” authenticity.

The song list is a winning mix of four Magnarelli originals, plus tracks from DiRubbo and Davis, as well as two from Coltrane, and “Clockwise” from Cedar Walton. A Debussy composition (updated in 1938 into a popular song by Larry Clinton) is added to make sure we know that Joe is a man for all seasons…

Right out of the box, the horns blend sweetly on the title track. Charette lets us know quickly that he’s there, and then Joe steps up to blow. His tone is warm, round, and burnished. The addition of Charette’s organ is a wise move on the part of producer, Marc Free. Organ with horns almost always seems about right.

“Easy” from Steve Davis is all that and more. If you dig hard bop as much as I do, the blend that Davis and Magnarelli so effortlessly possess helps with the continuum of this genre. It’s hard to quantify to those who do not appreciate the Blue Note/Prestige origins of hard bop that continue today through efforts of High Note, Savant, and Posi-Tone, but when you just hear a few choruses with the right mix of jazz musicians you know the future of the music we love is in good hands.

DiRubbo’s “The Step Up” has Mike and Brian doing just that. I forgot how much I enjoyed Mike’s previous Posi-Tone issues, Repercussion and Chronos. This track brought it back. “NYC-J-Funk” brings it and the pulse is set by Rudy Royston, spurring on Joe with a funkalicious back-beat and organ fills by Charette.

26-2, a contrafact of Coltrane’s based on Bird’s “Confirmation” gives DiRubbo center-stage to blow and we enter the bop arena. Joe and Steve also have solos here. Joe gets into rapid- fire delivery mode on “Paris.” The horns’ ensemble blend is highlighted on another Coltrane tune, “Central Park West” before Joe’s lyrical solo.

Top to bottom, Magnarelli’s Three on Two CD release is a slam dunk issue highlighted by Joe making all the right moves on the jazz court…

TrackList: Three on Two, Easy, The Step Up, NYC-J-Funk, 26-2, Clockwise, Paris, Central Park West, Outlet Pass, My Reverie

—Jeff Krow

Posted on by

Dusted in Exile reviews the new Walt Weiskopf CD….

http://dustedmagazine.tumblr.com

Walt Weiskopf - Open Road cover

 

 

 

 

Times have long been tough for the Coltrane and Rollins-smitten tenorist. First there exists the sheer volume of peers to contend with, each jockeying for a share of a dwindling listenership that can easily eschew their facsimile sounds for the source. Then there’s the challenge of adapting the masters’ vocabularies in a manner that doesn’t come off slavish or overly-derivative. With the deck stacked in such a way, it’s a wonder more don’t hang up their horns and opt for more uniformly lucrative or laudatory endeavors. In Walt Weiskopf’s case, as with a select few others, there’s really no alternative at all. It’s a calling that can’t be denied or subsumed, best dealt with by keeping as busy as possible in forwarding one’s art no matter what criticisms arrive in opposition.

Open Road works as a clever visual analogy for the sort of mind set needed to consistently circumvent the strictures of the circumstances described. Weiskopf’s been at it professionally for well over three decades, composing, gigging relentlessly as a sideman and leader, cutting records, teaching, publishing and accruing accolades and awards along the way. Seventeen albums later and Weiskopf’s staying power is beyond reproach. Facets of Coltrane and Rollins reside audibly within an instrumental argot that is clearly indebted to the giants, but never fawningly rote.

The twelve pieces here combine to just shy of an hour and the relative brevity of each ensures that the band regularly breaks a sweat via variety and tempo variation. Premonition” starts off as a textbook postbop obstacle course, but pianist Peter Zak and bassist Mike Karn drop out two thirds into the piece leaving the leader and drummer Steve Fidyk to plow ahead at a propulsive clip. “Let’s Spend the Day Together” has something of a Horace Silver cast about it in the dancing Latin rhythm undergirding Weiskopf’s lead and the effervescent comping of Zak. The title track presses the collective accelerator, prompting Weiskopf to cruise expressively through a set of resilient changes with Zak’s space-savvy attack leaving him plenty of room to move.

A rare departure from the Weiskopf pen, “Nancy (with the Laughing Face)” evinces the same playful bait and switch as the opener with tenor and piano relating the wistful theme, before the latter drops out and Karn steps up to offer the leader elastic support in his stead for a fleeting exchange. The driving “Gates of Madrid” carries the poignant urgency of a Sixties Joe Henderson or Booker Ervin number as Weiskopf invests his tone with a keening cry and Zak comps darkly at his side. Karn is more felt than heard, working with Fidyk to dial up the tension as Weiskopf ranges emotively to a tumult-stamped close. “Chronology” and “Electroshock” each contain a brisk assembly of sharp-edged, puzzle piece structures steeped in constructive colloquy. In pacing, placement and summary outcome the album works in the best episodic sense.

Derek Taylor

 

 

Posted on by

Doug Webb “Triple Play” review by David Orthmann…

C1010

 

 

 

 

 

www.allaboutjazz.com

As tempting as it is to simply consign a blowing session label toTriple Play, a three tenor saxophone plus rhythm date led byDoug Webb, there’s ample evidence that something more disciplined and structured is afoot. For one thing, eight of the disc’s eleven tracks are under six minutes—in other words, there’s not a lot of room for indulgence, excess, or one-upmanship of any kind. The material, including striking originals by the leader,Walt Weiskopf, and Joel Frahm, as well as assorted standards such as “Avalon,” “Giant Steps,” and “I Concentrate On You,” is often tendered by the horns like a reed section of a big band, carefully blended and precisely executed. Randy Aldcroft, who doesn’t appear on the record, is credited with the arrangements of three selections.

Organist Brian Charette serves as the session’s ballast, holding things in place with smart, pulsating work on the bass pedals, beautifully shaded and nuanced comping, as well as tweaking soloists with the occasional brash chord. Rudy Royston‘s drums and cymbals constitute the session’s wild card. He offers a busy, sometimes manic commentary, moving in and out of the pocket at will, punching holes in the music with his bass and snare drums, playing stretches of comparatively straight time, as well as tapping out jumbles of strokes.

Webb, Weiskopf, and Frahm are middle-aged veterans of the struggles and triumphs of jazz performance, far too accomplished and certain of their abilities to participate in some sort of spurious tenor battle; thankfully, the record’s end result is a wealth of inspired, highly focused improvisations. The three tenors—each in his own manner—play with a ruthless efficiency, making complete, rousing statements, usually in just a handful of choruses, on selections mostly taken at middling to up tempos.

Webb possesses an exemplary ability to navigate various tempos and find fresh perspectives on material that would induce a litany of clichés in a lesser player. Undaunted by the dizzying pace of “Avalon,” his ideas cohere without a trace of athleticism or strain. A three-chorus turn on Lou Donaldson‘s soul-jazz tune “Alligator Boogaloo” includes relaxed, neatly sculpted phrases as well as the requisite blues and R & B effusions. Throughout “I Concentrate On You,” amidst Charette’s and Royston’s firm support, he swings in a way that evinces a momentum of its own. During the first chorus of his composition “Jones,” Webb makes an art of stopping short, that is cutting off ideas before an easily anticipated conclusion, and then offering something else, without any hint of disengagement or loss of continuity.

It’s easy to become preoccupied with Weiskopf’s tone, a dense, vibrating, all-encompassing, blues-fused concoction, at the expense of taking notice of the ways in which he organizes ideas in the service of sustaining momentum. On his composition “Three’s A Crowd” and Webb’s “Triple Play,” he displays a flair for brief, dramatic entrances—such as slamming home one note and extending it, or making a handful of notes sound like a buzz saw, immediately following with an impassioned, metallic cry—and then rapidly getting down to the business of building a cogent, emotionally compelling improvisation. The second chorus on “The Way Things Are,” another one of his compositions, includes some of Weiskopf’s most stunning work on the record. His lines are taut, tightly connected, and for the most part etched into the hum and rumble of Charette’s bass line. When he pauses, or briefly spins out a flurry of notes that fly against the beat before snapping back to attention, the effect is like an edifice being ripped apart and immediately—miraculously—put back into place.

Each of Frahm’s solos is something of an adventure, as he manipulates his tone, juggles contrasting rhythms, intentionally rushes or drags time, changes temperament from cool to hot, and flashes a number of ideas in relatively short periods. His “Jones” improvisation gradually comes into focus. Frahm lays back for much of the first chorus, playing a little behind the beat and leaving some room between selected phrases. The last eight bars signal a change as his tone assumes a ragged edge. The second chorus begins with the insistent pecking of a number of staccato notes, which he rapidly wrestles into a nifty phrase. Eventually his sound thickens and he integrates squeaks, burr tones, and screams. During “Your Place Or Mine” Frahm evokes jazz of the swing era for about a half chorus in terms of vocabulary and rhythmic nuisances before metamorphosing to the present day. Throughout “Triple Play” he creates tension by playing slightly ahead of the beat, and sprinkles at least three song quotes into the solo’s second chorus.

Not unlike Swing Shift, Webb’s memorable 2012 release on Posi-Tone, Triple Play contains the present centered vibe of the last set of a club date, when the musicians are open to all possibilities, expressing themselves without inhibitions and, for an hour or so, the sounds are strong enough to keep the outside world at bay.

Track Listing: Jones; Three’s A Crowd; Giant Steps; The Way Things Are; Avalon; Jazz Car; Your Place Or Mine; I Concentrate On You; Pail Blues; Alligator Boogaloo; Triple Play.

Personnel: Doug Webb: tenor sax; Walt Weiskopf: tenor sax; Joel Frahm: tenor sax; Brian Charette: organ; Rudy Royston: drums.

 

 

Posted on by

Jared Gold “Metropolitan Rhythm” reviewed at AAJ…

Jared Gold - Metropolitan Rhythm cover

 

 

 

 

allaboutjazz.com

Jared Gold remains one of the most dependably creative artists in the Posi-Tone stable. He’s delivered an album a year for that label since arriving with Solids & Stripes (Posi-Tone, 2008), a date that, in many respects, set the tone for the other trio and quartet sessions that would follow. Here, on his eighth release for that imprint, Gold delivers a well-balanced set with his working trio—a group that features guitar veteran Dave Stryker and rising star drummer Kush Abadey .

This album’s title speaks to the heartbeat and buzz of city life—something that’s complex and not so easy to capture in music. With that in mind, Gold and company explore the metropolitan pulse, energy, and vibe in different manners; they don’t just focus on mile-a-minute, highly charged songs. The perfect example of this can be seen and felt with the back-to-back placement of “Homenagem” and “Risco”—two songs which look at two different sides of Brazilian music. The former is built on buoyancy and verve, the latter on unostentatious sway. Right there and then, Gold, Stryker, and Abadey make it clear that city life isn’t so simple or uniform in its unfolding.

Having said all of that, it should still be noted that these three know how to cook. Their energized take on Stryker’s “As Is” and their trip through Joe Henderson‘s “Granted”—an adrenalized thrill ride—makes that clear. Elsewhere, they turn in other directions. “God Has Smiled On Me” starts in hymn-like fashion before the band catches the spirit, “Maybe I’m Amazed” is reborn as a groove-friendly number, and Thelonious Monk‘s “Let’s Call This” becomes a more rhythmically fluid and less idiosyncratic vehicle in the hands of this trio.

With Metropolitan Rhythm, Gold manages to paint a multi-dimensional picture of urban life that finds balance between drive and restraint, power and finesse, and tradition and innovation.

Posted on by

David Ake “Lake Effect” review in JazzTimes Magazine…

C1010

 

 

 

 

jazztimes.com

By Britt Robson

Pianist David Ake’s Bridges was one of the best jazz outings of 2013, featuring a gentle kaleidoscope of taut yet off-kilter compositions for a sextet consisting of his fellow California Institute of the Arts alumni and associates, including Ravi Coltrane, Ralph Alessi and Scott Colley. Lake Effect is equally satisfying but in a much different, more emotionally penetrating fashion. Since Bridges, Ake has moved back to his Midwestern roots, becoming the chair of the department of music at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. And last summer, he was jolted by the death of Charlie Haden, his musical mentor and the founder of the jazz program at CalArts. Both events affect the shape and purpose of the music here.

An extended quote by Haden about immersion in the music is set over a photograph of a winter lake—it’s the only liner note beyond the recording details. The first composition, the stark and beautifully somber “Lone Pine,” is Ake’s solo piano tribute to Haden. For the other nine tracks, the ensemble is pared down to a quartet, with the aforementioned three members absent and bassist Sam Minaie replacing Colley alongside holdovers Mark Ferber on drums and Peter Epstein on saxophones. They provide the right intimacy for the tone poem “Silver Thaw,” with Ake’s dappled notes given further nuance by soft chimes to mimic the dripping water. “Hills” is another evocative soundscape, distant in its wistfulness and nonchalance. Even the more ingenious, piquant compositions, similar to the writing on Bridges, such as “Tricycle” and “Two Stones,” have an engaging sentimentality. From the Lake Michigan of his Chicago boyhood to the Lake Tahoe of his previous teaching position in Reno, Nev., to the Lake Erie in his current neighborhood, Ake knows the varieties of terrain and seasonal patterns along the waterfront.

 

Posted on by

Tom Tallitsch “All Together Now” gets coverage from SomethingElse Reviews…

C1010

 

 

 

 

somethingelsereviews.com

For Tom Tallitsch’s latest album (released last month by Posi-Tone Records), the tenor ace assembles a stellar sextet for All Together Now. With a gathering of Tallitsch on tenor sax, Mike DiRubbo on alto, Michael Dease on trombone, Brian Charette on keyboards, Peter Brendler on bass and Mark Ferber on drums, Tallitsch went all out talent-wise, making this more appropriately “All Star Together Now.”

His fast follow-up to 2014’s Ride again tweaks the band construction from the prior record, with DiRubbo being the key addition. With three horns up front, Tallitsch gets to go more creative with the arrangements and add a forceful, layered swing to the sharp, expressive soloing that these guys were seemingly born to do.

Tallitsch puts this vast array of talent to work on the hot, hard bop originals like “Passages,” Border Crossing” and “Medicine Man”; these are the kind of numbers that make Posi-Tone the closest thing we’ve got today to the classic Blue Note label. The three horn masters all burn on their solos for the opening “Passage,”, and then Charette on piano caps it off with an inspired one of his own. On the second of this trio, Brendler’s taut bass keeps it all locked down as DiRubbo delivers a towering cascade of notes, followed by Tallitsch’s spiritual and spirited turn. Both of these guys also shimmer on “Medicine Man, ” while Dease exploits his extended showcase on the shuffling mid-tempo “Curmudgeon.”

All Together Now isn’t some mere Art Blakey homage, though, even though it’d be a nice one. The Band’s “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” is the recipient of that old gospel feel with Charette moving over to organ as Tallitsch administers just the right amount of soul and DiRubbo finishes what Tallitsch started. The chorus opens up like angels appearing out of the sky and the whole band ratchets up the passion to dramatic effect. Gospel is visited upon again for “Arches,” resplendent but in a somber way. Charette is heard on electric piano for Frank Zappa and George Duke’s “Uncle Remus,” an overlooked cut from Zappa’s hit album Apostrophe(‘), but Tallitsch recognized Zappa’s underrated flair for a delicate melody and showed how at home this tunes feels in jazzier hands.

In a time when mainstream jazz is often thought of (and sometimes treated) as some stoic museum piece, Tom Tallitsch can always be counted on to counter that notion with a presentation of this idiom that’s dynamic, majestic and yes, a boatload of fun. With All Together Now, the fun continues.

 

Posted on by

Tom Tallitsch “All Together Now” is reviewed by BuzzardTracks

http://buzzardtracks.blogspot.com

C1010

 

 

 

 

Tom Tallitsch. All Together Now.

Posi-Tone Records, 2015.  Tom Tallitsch: http://www.tomtallitsch.com/

It must be the season for good jazz releases. Tom Tallitsch’s last CD, Ride, was reviewed here about a year ago, and his releases seem to be coming at a faster rate than ever.  His third album for Posi-Tone brings back two of his bandmates from last year, bassist Peter Brendler and trombonist Michael Dease, replaces the pianist and drummer, and adds an alto sax player Mike DiRubbo for some higher notes. The result is a somewhat richer and fuller sound. Nine of the eleven tunes are originals, with a Zappa composition and one by Robbie Robertson rounding out the set.

Tallitsch covers some of the same ground as he did on the last release, but here he emphasizes gospel and blues. Case in point, “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” a classic piece of Americana in the hands of The Band, becomes a gospel showpiece in the hands of this band.  While the gospel influence was always there, Tallitsch really brings it to the front, even while sticking close to the melody. The style is revisited in the closing track, “Arches,” one of his own tunes. Tallitsch plays it light, sweet, and slow, with some lovely solo work by several of the band members. The tune has the same sad, downward drift as the “Midnight Cowboy Theme” (it took me a few minutes to recall what this reminded me of).  On the blues side, “Uncle Remus” takes us furthest into that style, with some delicious keyboard work by Brian Charette, while the Zappa/Duke song “Greasy Over Easy” delivers in similar fashion, with a bit of a soul twist.

Elsewhere, we hear a lot of fine tunes, some faster, some slower, each creating its own space and delivering a different view of the group’s work. “Passages,” the opener, gives everybody a quick solo in fast tempo, as if it were an overture to the rest of the album. “Slippery Rock” takes a slower pace with Tallitsch and DiRubbo trading off on their saxes.  “Border Crossing” lets the group sound nearly like a big band with saxes and trombone all playing in unison, and “Curmudgeon” does the same, but gives Michael Dease a nice chance to be featured with some soulful trombone. “Medicine Man” sounds like Paul Desmond is nearby. Nearly everywhere Brian Charette adds to the mix or provides short pithy solos that sometimes quote familiar tunes. Underneath it all is the fine rhythm section of Brendler and Ferber, anchoring the group strongly, but never ostentatiously so, and occasionally surfacing for a short feature. Sometimes I mention a favorite tune, but here I can’t. They’re all good.

All Together Now gives Tallitsch the opportunity to show off his arranging skills and melodic sensibilities, which are considerable. All of the musicians do an excellent job individually, but the great thing about this album is the ensemble feel.  While everyone gets their chances to solo, just as often two instruments are paired up, and the interplay between them creates fascinating textures throughout. Nobody dominates, and as a result, the title is an apt description of what goes on here. The only thing missing is the Beatles song.
Personnel:  Tom Tallitsch (tenor sax), Mike DiRubbo (alto sax), Michael Dease (trombone), Brian Charette (piano, organ), Peter Brendler (bass), Mark Ferber (drums).
Tracks: Passages, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, Slippery Rock, Big Sky, Border Crossing, Curmudgeon, Uncle Remus, Medicine Man, Greasy Over Easy, Dunes, Arches.

 

Jeff Wanser