Category: Reviews

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Woodrow Wilkins AAj review for Ralph Bowen’s “Due Reverence” CD….

bowen album cover

www.allaboutjazz.com

Due Reverence
Ralph Bowen | Posi-Tone Records (2010)
By Woodrow Wilkins

“Less Is More” is not just the first song on tenor saxophonist Ralph Bowen’s Due Reverence. It’s also a subtle hint about the music.

Bowen studied at Rutgers University under Dr. James Scott and Robert Dick, to whom two of the songs are dedicated. He also studied at Indiana University and in addition to teaching, has performed at numerous venues with a wide array of artists, including Charles Fambrough, Lou Rawls, Antonio Hart, Freddie Hubbard and Michael Brecker. Due Reverence is Bowen’s tribute to those who taught, encouraged, or inspired him.

“Less Is More,” dedicated to Ted Dunbar, begins slowly and softly. John Patitucci uses the bow during a brief duet with Bowen before switching to finger play when guitarist Adam Rogers and drummer Antonio Sanchez join the effort. The tenor flows freely while the accompaniment is subtle, yet effective. Rogers makes the guitar sing during his solo, slipping in a few chords to offset the main line.

Sanchez engages some energetic stick work to open “This One’s for Bob,” dedicated to saxophonist Bob Mintzer. Bowen enters at a frantic pace, pushing the tenor through a series of rapid-notes-per-second phrases that don’t let up. The musicians heat things up in the background as Bowen’s tenor squeals and wails at key points. The pace continues, but the tone softens during Rogers’ solo. Sanchez varies his emphasis behind the guitar, but then cranks up the intensity when he steps out front, giving the entire kit a workout.

Trumpeter Sean Jones joins the quartet for “Mr. Scott,” the longest piece in the set. Rather than an album with multiple short to moderate songs, Due Reverence simplifies things with only five tracks, each running more than six minutes. That not only allows plenty of freedom for the soloists, but also a heavy dose of interplay among the group.

Track listing: Less Is More; This One’s for Bob; Phil-osophy; Mr. Scott; Points Encountered.

Personnel: Ralph Bowen: tenor saxophone; Sean Jones: trumpet (4); Adam Rogers: guitar; John Patitucci: bass; Antonio Sanchez: drums.

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Some nice coverage for Ehud Asherie “Modern Life” featuring Harry Allen coming from the Step Tempest blog by writer Richard Kamins…..

steptempest.blogspot.com

Modern Life – Ehud Asherie, featuring Harry Allen

(Posi-Tone Records)

Young Israeli-born pianist Asherie, who’s worked with saxophonists Grant Stewart and his guest here Harry Allen issues his 3rd CD for Posi-Tone and he continues to show why he’s such a fine player. He thinks “melody first” when choosing material, likes to swing, and his solos are usually smartly constructed. Most of the tunes are standards (even fellow pianist Hank Jones’ “Vignette” has been around since 1980) and the 2 originals show a “bop” pedigree.

The rhythm section of bassist Joel Forbes (a New Haven, CT native) and drummer Chuck Riggs give great support (and well-recorded) – listen to their relaxed swing on the pianist’s “One for V” and how they supply the “motor” that drives “The Trolley Song.” They remain calm and quiet underneath the “lead” voices on the Gershwin Brothers’ “He Loves and She Loves” (from “Funny Face”).

Allen continues to mine the styles of Ben Webster, Lester Young and Coelman Hawkins to great effect. He never forces the musical “issue”, playing with a relaxed sense of swing (so playful on “No Moon at All” yet deeply bluesy on Billy Strayhorn’s “A Flower is a Lovesome Thing”) and, like the pianist, always “on” the melody.

Ehud Asherie is an impressive pianist, not because he plays “tons of notes” – no, there’s an ease, a grace, a melodic presence that informs his playing. “Modern Life” is a gentle, genial, and pleasing program that will have listeners coming back time and again for its fine music. For more information, go to www.posi-tone.com.

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John Kelman’s AAJ review for our David Binney/Alan Ferber CD “In The Paint”……

InThePaint_final_coverwww.allaboutjazz.com

By John Kelman

With an influence felt, perhaps, as much or more in the work of others than in his own record sales, alto saxophonist David Binney rarely co-leads groups, but his longstanding collaboration with pianist Edward Simon has been fruitful in more ways than one. Sharing compositional and conceptual duties frees him to focus more on his playing, and that’s always a good thing, as Binney’s innovative writing has sometimes overshadowed the fact that he’s also a damn fine performer. Co-leading brings even greater breadth to the table, making In the Paint—a first-time shared leadership with trombonist Alan Ferber—another inspired pairing.

Nearly 15 years Binney’s younger, Ferber has been increasingly in the public eye on guitarist Charlie Hunter’s succinct Gentlemen, I Neglected to Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid (Spire, 2010), bassist Todd Sickafoose’s remarkable Tiny Resistors (Cryptogramophone, 2008) and percussionist/composer John Hollenbeck’s equally outstanding Eternal Interlude (Sunnyside, 2009). He also guested on Binney’s last album with Simon, Océanos (Criss Cross, 2007), but with In the Paint his voice is more definitive—splitting compositional duties with Binney nearly down the middle, alongside an uncovered gem and three freely improvised alto/trombone duets that demonstrate the leaders’ shared propensity for pulling surprising form from the ether.

Despite being instantly recognizable, Binney’s writing remains fresh and unpredictable. With a septet also featuring the twin-chordal attack of pianist John Escreet and vibraphonist Peter Schlamb, and a rhythm section powered by bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Gerald Cleaver, the opening “Growin’ Up” combines mixed meters and unhurried motivic development, built around unison lines that give way to knotty counterpoint, creating a propulsive, mid-tempo context for Binney’s needle-threading solo. Ferber’s title track is equally intricate, a syncopated bass line doubled by Escreet underpinning warm voicings and an equally unhurried melody that sets up an exhilarating alto solo that reaches comfortably into the horn’s upper register before Ferber takes over, his burnished tone possessing a hint of grit as he lithely winds his way through the changes.

Cleaver and Morgan swing with gentle authority on Binney’s “Everybody’s Wonderland,” shifting seamlessly between 5/8 and 6/8, while Escreet takes a lengthy solo that confirms his status as another young player to watch. Schlamb, another up-and-comer, delivers an ethereal solo, filled with cascading lines, on Binney’s “Paris,” where darker colors support its serpentine melody. Unencumbered by preconception, Binney and Ferber engage on three spontaneous miniatures: the vivacious “Interlude I”; sparer “Interlude II”; and “Interlude III,” where the two orbit around each other, occasionally intersecting. “Lautir”—by the perennially overlooked woodwind multi-instrumentalist Ken McIntyre, best-known for his work with Eric Dolphy and Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra—becomes a brief feature for Cleaver.

Binney and Ferber’s shared appreciation for complex yet eminently accessible writing—performed by an ensemble rich in texture and a simmering rather than steaming approach—makes In the Paint a captivating listen. A strong addition to Binney’s discography, it’s also clear notice that Ferber is an artist to watch beyond his inestimable appearances as a sideman.

Track listing: Growin’ Up; In the Paint; Everybody’s Wonderland; Interlude I; Paris; Edinburgh; Icecave; Interlude II; La Taqueria; Magnolia; Lautir; Interlude III; Our Inventions.

Personnel: David Binney: alto saxophone; Alan Ferber: trombone; John Escreet: piano; Peter Schlamb: vibes; Thomas Morgan: bass; Gerald Cleaver: drums.

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Ken Franckling has some nice things to say about the new Ehud Asherie CD “Modern Life” featuring Harry Allen….

Ehud Asherie, Modern Life (Posi-Tone)
New York-based pianist Ehud Asherie has a sprightly, dancing style on the keyboard at times that is reminiscent at times of a longtime favorite swing practitioner, John Bunch. Asherie is in great company on this mainstream swing project, which features tenor saxophonist Harry Allen. Bassist Joel Forbes and drummer Chuck Riggs, two of Allen’s frequent collaborators, complete the rhythm section. Everything here is well done as they mine Swing Street, Blues Alley and a few chapters from The Great American Songbook. My favorites: Asherie’s originals “Blues for George” and “One for V,” as well as their takes on the Hank Jones tune “Vignette” and Tadd Dameron’s “Casbah.” While Allen is at his high-energy best on the blues piece and George Gershwin’s “Soon,” his exquisite way with a ballad is also a delight on Billy Strayhorn’s “A Flower is a Lovesome Thing.” Asherie and Allen work well together – with empathy, high spirits and the sheer will to swing.

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100greatestjazzalbums review of Ralph Bowen “Due Reverence”….

100greatestjazzalbums.blogspot.com

Following Chris Potter’s excellent example on ‘Gratitude’, Ralph Bowen continues where he had begun with his first Posi-Tone release ‘Dedicated’ with five well crafted pieces honoring musicians who have been a guiding influence. Only while you would recognize all of Chris Potter’s influences (Joe Henderson, Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, Eddie Harris, Michael Brecker…) you may not have heard of many of the influences cited by Ralph Bowen.

On ‘Dedicated’ he referenced Keith Blackley, Pat LaBarbera, Jim Blackley, David N. Baker, Prof William Fielder and Eugene Rousseau. Here on ‘Due Reverence’ he references Ted Dunbar (‘Less Is More’), Bob Mintzer (‘This One’s For Bob’), Phil Nimmons (‘Phil-osophy’), Prof James Scott (‘Mr. Scott’) and Robert Dick (‘Points Encountered’). So this is more like a one man effort to bring to attention largely unrecognized innovators drawn mainly from Canadian jazz and teachers at Rutgers University, where Ralph Bowen himself now teaches. It’s what you might describe as a bottom-up approach in contrast to Chris Potter’s top-down take on the development of the music.

Influences aside, the jazz on ‘Due Reverence’ is very strong indeed. The same world class band that appeared on ‘Dedicated ‘ – Ralph Bowen (tenor sax), Sean Jones (trumpet), Adam Rogers (guitar), John Patitucci (bass) and Antonio Sanchez (drums) – is retained again here, with the constraint that Sean Jones is featured on only one track, ‘Mr Scott’.

Indeed, the eleven minute piece ‘Mr Scott’ is the stand out track on the album. The Tom Harrell influenced theme, played on harmonized sax and trumpet, gives way to involving and lucid soloing from each member of this impressive band, delivered over a loose and flowing backing in which Antonio Sanchez’s asymmetric drumming, John Patitucci’s intelligent bass lines and Adam Roger’s now restrained guitar work all shine. You get the strong feeling that each of the musicians in this lineup is starting to develop a deep understanding of the other.

‘Less Is More’, the opener, starts in subdued classical vein with acoustic guitar and bowed bass before opening out into a likeable subdued piece with a gentle latin rhythm. Ralph Bowen leads without showboating on a tight tenor sax solo ahead of a nicely pitched guitar solo from Adam Rogers. It is noticeable how his guitar paying has changed in recent years – from the upfront complexity of his own albums as leader for Criss Cross (‘Allegory’, ‘Apparitions’) to a more subdued and perceptive mainstream approach. Throughout the album he is impressive as accompanist (with fine judged chords that at times evoke a Fender Rhodes sound) and in providing deep and involving solos.

‘Phil-osophy’ is a similarly pitched piece with the latin influence replaced with a more straight ahead, swinging beat.

‘This One’s For Bob’ shifts the tempo up a notch as a vehicle for impressive, quick fire soling from Ralph Bowen and then Adam Rogers. Exhilarating.

The closing track ‘Points Encountered’ is a tribute to Robert Dick, a flautist who is credited with pioneering breathing techniques to improve wind instrument playing. Ralph Bowen’s sax playing certainly is impressive. But in the art of breathing, you have to wonder where Rahsaan Roland Kirk comes into this story. There is a well aimed arco bass solo from John Patitucci that is another highlight.

Overall, this is very fine mainstream jazz and is highly recommended.

Check out the MP3 download at amazon. Not only is the album available at a very competitive price in that form, but you also get a bonus track that is not available on the CD – the title track ‘Due Reverence’, a lyrical unaccompanied tenor sax piece.

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Bill Milkowski’s JazzTimes review of “Supersonic”….

jazztimes.com

Jared Gold
Supersonic
Posi-Tone

By Bill Milkowski

The ubiquitous NYC organist Jared Gold steps out as a leader and gets funky with guitarist Ed Cherry and drummer McClenty Hunter on this super-charged groove project. Highlights include a revved-up rendition of “Welcome Back” (theme song for the ’70s TV show Welcome Back, Kotter, rendered here as a James Brown-inspired throwdown), a soulful “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” the uptempo burner “Battle of Tokorazawa,” the gospel-soaked “Home Again” (with Cherry channeling Eric Gale) and a “Poinciana”-ish take on “Angel Eyes.”

 

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John Barron’s AAJ review for Ehud Asherie “Modern Life”….

allaboutjazz.com

New York-based pianist Ehud Asherie swings hard on Modern Life, his third release for Posi-Tone Records. With the help of tenor saxophonist Harry Allen, bassist Joel Forbes and drummer Chuck Riggs, the Israeli-born Asherie demonstrates an in-depth understanding of the piano jazz tradition.

Throughout this set of standards and riff-based Asherie originals, it doesn’t take long to realize the sincerity in the pianists approach to uncompromising swing. In every aspect of his playing—voicing, phrasing, finesse—Asherie convincingly harkens back to an era of stylists such asGeorge Shearing and Oscar Peterson who could straddle the fence between swing and bebop. Perhaps most intriguing is the way Asherie handles a ballad like George Gershwin‘s “He Loves and She Loves” and Billy Strayhorn‘s “A Flower is a Lovesome Thing.” Along with lush, lyrical solo lines, Asherie confidently fills up space with witty, at times sardonic, comping behind Allen’s breathy tenor.

Allen, who has recorded in abundance as a leader, fits snuggly into Asherie’s retrospective aesthetic. With buoyant phrasing, Allen delivers a never-ending weave of inspired, feel-good ideas. The saxophonist digs in extra hard on the disc’s up-tempo selections, specifically Hank Jones‘ “Vignette” and Gershwin’s “Soon.”

With rock-solid walking lines and crisp cymbal work, Forbes and Riggs keep things cooking at a fervent simmer. The two effortlessly keep pace with Asherie and Allen to create a toe-tapping listening experience from beginning to end.

 

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Raul d’Gama Rose’s review of Faith in Action from allaboutjazz.com

www.allaboutjazz.com

Faith in Action
Orrin Evans | Posi-Tone Records (2010)

By

On Faith in Action, his reverent homage to an old boss, saxophonist Bobby Watson, Orrin Evans plays with his heart on his sleeve, gliding right down to his bare fingertips. Here is a pianist who channels masters from Thelonious Monk to Bud Powell and Bill Evans. However, through it all Evans is his own man, a singular voice that combines the precision of a surgeon and the compassion of a saint in an attack on the keys that is so angular and delightful that dancing feet and swaying bodies may never stop moving and grooving. Evans displays a superb ability to express the emotion of the music. This makes his reading of songs he aims to interpret taut with feeling. His solos comprise well-chosen notes and short phrases that reveal ideas that are fresh, inventive, and always relevant. Thus he goads his musicians—especially those in his current trio(s)—to reach further and deeper into their hearts and minds, to respond with equal measures of invention.

Watson has high praise indeed for the music on this album. And this is well merited by Evans. He deconstructs melody, probing every nook and cranny of the texture of sound to uncover the rich overtones of notes. These he inhabits as he rolls around on the keyboard, tossing and turning the new things he has discovered. His darting use of harmonics, often played with a sustained pedal and varied dynamics, in the way he strikes the notes makes his interpretations more resonant and infinitely memorable because of the echoes as the notes bounce off the capillaries of the mind’s ear. The four-dimensional sound of “Appointment in Milano” provides a wonderful example of this aspect of his music. But he is a chameleon, too. For instance, on “Beattitudes,” another Watson tune, he is more subdued, even circumspect. His voice is clipped, almost as if he were speaking softly instead of singing. Then, toward the middle of the piece, he becomes restless and florid and begins to vocalize in myriad voices.

Evans continues to surprise and catch the listener off guard throughout the length and breadth of the album. Breadth is, indeed, the operative word, as the music he plays has a sweeping nature, creating large canvases of sound. Even on short elegiac pieces such as “Matthew’s Song” and the jitterbug-like “MAT-Matt,” composed for his children, he pushes the boundaries of tone and texture almost to the breaking point. However brittle this might sound initially, Evans bounces around the drums of Nasheet Waits and the bass of Luques Curtis, pushing hard against anything that might become a barrier to broadening the scope of his sound.

It is clear that Evans is brimming with ideas. However, an ultimate fade to black on the album is inevitable. Still, it is here that Evans seems only to retreat into a thoughtful silence to ponder the twists and turns of his next wonderfully surprising project.

Track listing: Don’t Call Me Wally; Faith in Action; Wheel Within Wheel; Appointment in Milano; Matthew’s Song; Beattitudes; MAT-Matt; Love Remains; Two Steppin With Dawn; Why Not.

Personnel: Orrin Evans: piano; Luques Curtis: bass; Nasheet Waits: drums; Rocky Bryant: drums (3); Gene Jackson: drums (5, 9).

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Something Else! review for Ehud Asherie “Modern Life”….

somethingelsereviews.com

Ehud Asherie (featuring Harry Allen) Modern Life

As a piano player who is very respectful of tradition, Ehud Asherie is often of the Harry Allen state of mind. This past Tuesday came forth Modern Life, Aherie’s third as a sole leader, all of which have come from from Posi-Tone Records. The young Israeli-born pianist, whose style recalls Erroll Garner, is a master of styles ranging from stride piano to soul-jazz. For the quartet-powered Modern Life, brings Allen on board to fill the sax role. As Asherie often for the Harry Allen Quartet, the pairing is a natural in more ways than one..

 

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Here’s the Audiophile Audition review of the Ralph Bowen “Dedicated” CD….

dedicated coverwww.audaud.com

Ralph Bowen – Dedicated – Posi-Tone

Dedicated to his mentors.

Published on July 27, 2009

Ralph Bowen – Dedicated – Posi-Tone PR8052, 42:24 ***1/2:
(Ralph Bowen, tenor sax; Sean Jones, trumpet; Adam Rogers, electric guitar; John Patitucci, bass; Antonio Sanchez, drum

Canadian Ralph Bowen was a member of Out of the Blue, a group of “young lions” put together by Blue Note Records in the mid to late 1980s to showcase the new generation of young talent. Playing primarily hard bop, the staple of Blue Note’s success, Out of the Blue produced four albums before breaking up. Members Kenny Garrett and drummer Ralph Peterson, have gone on to find the greatest success, but tenor saxist, Ralph Bowen, has done quite well for himself as well, recording four Criss Cross CDs, before moving on to the new Posi-Tone label.
For his Posi-tone debut, Bowen decided to make a CD dedicated to musical influences. All six compositions are self-penned, and each is dedicated to a different artist. Bowen has moved beyond the usual dedications to jazz titans like Sonny Rollins, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis. Bowen has chosen less well known musicians such as saxophonist Pat La Barbera and Eugene Rousseau.

Bowen’s group is a piano-less quintet and uses the services of upcoming trumpet star, Sean Jones, as well as guitarist Adam Rogers, and the renowned bassist John Patitucci. Canary Drums opens the CD and is for Keith Blackley. Bowen has a mid-register pleasing tone, and the band provides solid backing for his playing. Pat, written for the aforementioned LaBarbera follows and is a winning ballad which provides Rogers with a soft spoken guitar solo, before Bowen explores the outer reaches of his tenor. Qaiyam has a similar flavor, anchored by Adam Rogers with some effective drum accents by Sanchez. Mr. Bebop dedicated to David Baker, is effective for its ensemble playing and has the closest sounding feel to Blue Note’s Out of the Blue. Prof, which I surmise is written for one of Bowen’s teacher’s William Fielder, is a vehicle for Bowen to show his tenor prowess. Dedicated is closed out with ER (for Eugene Rousseau) – a totally unaccompanied four-minute Bowen solo. It’s a nice finish to Bowen’s debut for Posi-Tone, a new label made up of upcoming stars. We reviewed one of their early issues by One for All’s trumpet star, Jim Rotondi, recently. The addition of Bowen to their roster is a smart move.

TrackList: Canary Drums, Pat, Qaiyam, Mr. Bebop, Prof, E.R.
– Jeff Krow