Tag: Playdate

Playdate brings together a trio of long time friends and musical collaborators. Guitarist Amanda Monaco, saxophonist Wayne Escoffery, and pianist Noah Baerman have known each other since high school, studying music together at the Educational Center for the Arts in New Haven, Connecticut. The ensemble is rounded out by bassist Henry Lugo and drummer Vinnie Sperrazza for a lively quintet set of originals and lesser-known jazz gems.

The disc opens with Monaco’s spirited hard-bopping swinger “Copper Tone,” a perfect warm-up vehicle for the lyrical guitarist, as well as Escoffery and Baerman. The three deliver succinct solos, spurred by Lugo’s pulsating walking lines. Baerman’s waltz “Remember the Goldfish,” a disc highlight, has a rhythmic give-and-take with catchy thematic sweeps. Here, Escoffery builds his tenor solo to a level of otherworldly intensity, followed by an explosive drum excursion by Sperazza.

A colorful rubato guitar introduction sets the pace for “Yes, Yes, Oh Yes!,” a groovy minor blues by the late pianist James Williams. “T-Time,” composed by Baerman is the most intricately composed piece from the session, utilizing the instrumentation at hand to skillfully weave together a variety of motifs into a coherent unit. Refreshingly, the tune settles into a more straightforward middle section, allowing Escoffery to soar on soprano saxophone.

The disc slows to a melancholic turn with “Baby Man,” a swaying ballad by the late saxophonist John Stubblefield. Escoffery and Monaco seem to relish in the tune’s laid-back groove, exhibiting patient and thoughtful lines. Sperrazza contributes the disc’s closing tracks, “Milan Kundera,” an exotic sounding piece with an odd-metered funky feel and “Memday,” a light-as-air ballad featuring a strong bass solo by Logo.

The camaraderie and shared musical vision of the ensemble is evident throughout this superb recording. Hopefully, there are more playdates scheduled.

Track listing: Copper Tone; Remember the Goldfish; Yes, Yes, Oh Yes!; T-Time; Baby Man; Milan Kundera; Memday.

Personnel: Wayne Escoffery: saxophone; Noah Baerman: piano; Amanda Monaco: guitar; Vinnie Sperrazza: drums; Henry Lugo: bass.

by Dan Bilawsky

www.allaboutjazz.com

While children spend after school-hours and weekends working on homework and spending time with their families, they also have play dates. They get together with other like-minded friends to let loose and blow off some steam. Musicians often do the same thing and, appropriately enough, three of the five performers on Playdate have been friends since high school. Guitarist Amanda Monaco, saxophonist Wayne Escoffery and pianist Noah Baerman have a shared history, having studied music together in Connecticut, and they’ve joined forces with bassist Henry Lugo and drummer Vinnie Sperrazza to form Playdate.

The group/album title makes perfect sense because of the relationship of the participants but it can be misleading if viewed from a musical stance. This isn’t a loose blowing session with overdone standards. The press materials mark the album as a “delightful combination of the hard bop tradition and modern sophistication” and, while this is largely accurate, the scales tip a little toward the latter. Five of the seven tracks on this record were written by the participants and each song has something different to say. Monaco’s tone is warm and inviting and Escoffery—lacking rough edges here—matches her with his own sound.

The album begins in with the mid-tempo swing of Monaco’s “Copper Tone.” Escoffery spins out instantly appealing and simply executed melodic lines that dovetail with Monaco and, to a lesser extent, Baerman. At times, Monaco blends so well with Escoffery, that it almost seems like another horn is present. James Williams’ “Yes, Yes Oh Yes!,” receives a red carpet reading, beginning with Monaco’s solo introduction and moving to a cool swing vibe, highlighted by Escoffery’s nonchalant and incredibly hip delivery. A long run of solos, featuring some deep bellowing notes from Escoffery, is capped off by a sax cadenza and some arco bass toward the end of the song.

Sperrazza proves to be a double-threat here with his fine drumming and intriguing compositions. His “Milan Kundera,” taking its name from the famed author, sounds like a cheery Vince Guaraldi-style Charlie Brown song—in seven—with slight calypso inflections adding to its originality. While Escoffery’s main axe is his tenor saxophone, his work on soprano here is fresh and proves to be one of the highlights of the album. The connection established between these musicians, both in terms of personal history and in musical empathy, is solid; hopefully this won’t be a one-time play date.

Track listing: Copper Tone; Remember The Goldfish; Yes, Yes, Oh Yes!; T-Time; Baby Man; Milan Kundera; Memday.

Personnel: Wayne Escoffery: saxophones; Noah Baerman: piano; Amanda Monaco: guitar; Vinnie Sperrazza: drums; Henry Lugo: acoustic bass.

audad.com
By Daniel Krow

Playdate – Playdate – Posi-Tone Records PR8055, 49:23 ****:

(Wayne Escoffery, tenor and soprano saxophone; Noah Baerman, piano;Amanda Monaco, guitar; Vinnie Sperrazza, drums, Henry Lugo, acoustic bass)

Playdate is made up of three high school friends (Noah Baerman, Wayne Escoffery, and Amanda Monaco, who all attended the jazz program at New Haven’s Educational Center for the Arts together), plus bassist Henry Lugo and drummer Vinnie Sperrazza, who play with Baerman in his Noah Baerman trio. The group’s first CD, Playdate, is a delightful album that’s full of complex interplay and melodic invention.

High points of the album include Remember the Goldfish, which has a breezy, Brubeck-sounding melody and a careful restrained guitar solo from Monaco; Yes, Yes, Oh Yes!, a song written by the late James Williams, which starts with slow, “loungey” guitar from Monaco, but moves into a swinging tete-a-tete between Monaco and Baerman, with each taking turns playing eight bar solos that gain intensity from Sperrazza’s shifting tempos; T-Time, which has a funky bass line that sounds like it’s being played by both Henry Lugo and Baerman’s left hand, and Milan Kundera, a tribute to the Czech author that has a buoyant triumphant melody.
As a group, Playdate have an amazing chemistry together. Their generosity as players is highly commendable and leaves one impressed with the unit as a whole, not just as individual players. I highly recommend Playdate’s self-titled album and look forward to their next CD.

TrackList: Copper Tone, Remember The Goldfish, Yes, Yes, Oh Yes!, T-Time, Baby Man, Milan Kundera, Memday

www.allmusic.comby Ken Dryden
Playdate is a reunion of three childhood friends, pianist Noah Baerman, saxophonist Wayne Escoffery, and guitarist Amanda Monaco. Though Baerman is listed first on the cover, this project, which includes drummer Vinnie Sperrazza and bassist Henry Lugo, feels more like a collective project, with no one musician appearing dominant. Escoffrey is likely the most familiar to jazz fans, having recorded extensively as a leader; with his wife, vocalist Carolyn Leonhart; and also with the Mingus Big Band — though Baerman and Monaco have each released several CDs of their own. Monaco contributed the conversational post-bop vehicle “Copper Tone,” while Baerman’s “Remember the Goldfish” is a playful cooker. Escoffery’s infectious soprano and Monaco’s engaging guitar make up the centerpiece of Sperrazza’s African-flavored “Milan Kundera.” Two pieces came from outside the group. The loping ballad “Baby Man” was penned by the late John Stubblefield in honor of his newborn son back in the 1970s; it became a favorite of the late Mary Lou Williams. This version is also a tender affair, with lush, soulful tenor and intimate guitar. “Yes, Yes, Oh Yes!” was penned by former Art Blakey pianist, bandleader, and jazz educator James Williams, an overlooked gem he recorded near the end of his life. Playdate is a rewarding session that merits a follow-up date.