Scott Reeves has written and recorded for the hottest big bands and has taught at the finest Jazz schools including Julliard and, currently, at the City University of New York (CUNY). His textbooks on Jazz improvisation are required reading everywhere. After assembling his own 16-piece Big Band in 2008, he has finally released his debut album, Portraits and Places (Origin 82710).

The album features seven Reeves original compositions in addition to his arrangement of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s great piece—and one of my favorite pieces ever--Aquas de Marco. To make those compositions and arrangements come alive, Reeves brings along some of the hardest working musicians in New York. Reeves himself is conductor and alto flugelhornist with Seneca Black, Nathan Eklund, Bill Mobley, and Andy Gravish on trumpets and flugelhorns; Steve Wilson and Vito Chiavuzzo on alto saxophones and flutes; Rob Middleton and Tim Armacost on tenor saxes and clarinets; Jay Brandford and Terry Goss on baritone saxes and bass clarinets; Tim Sessions, Matt McDonald and Matt Haviland on trombones with Max Siegel on bass trombone. The rhythm section is comprised of Jim Ridl on piano, Todd Coolman on bass and Andy Watson on drums. The big names with whom these artists have performed reads like a list of the best of the best.

The album opens with The Soulful Mr. Williams was written for the Bill Mobley Big Band during their residency at New York City’s Smoke Jazz club. The rhythm section starts it off with the horns joining soon with the silky sounds only a great big band can create after years of a musical relationship. Jay Brandford’s baritone sax sneaks around the corners. Keep your ears open.

Enter Scott Reeves with the alto flugelhorn solo. His tonality is rich and his phrasing is right on. Jim Ridl gets to solo on piano and he delivers like he always does. His choices are fascinating and he proves why he is on the album in the first place. His delicate delivery in the last minute of the piece is sweet.

It also has to be said that Andy Watson on drums catches your attention with his brilliant play. I hit replay just to hear him again and was rewarded in the experience.

3 ‘n 2 was written while Reeves was at the BMI Jazz Composer’s Workshop. It is a hard swinging piece with smoking solos from Tim Armacost on tenor sax and none-other-than Bill Mobley himself on trumpet. Coolman (bass) and Watson keep the groove hot while Armacost and Mobley keep you nailed to the chair.

The piece is so well-written and executed that this sounds like something Duke Ellington’s Orchestra had been playing for years. The bass and piano walk-off is just so fine.

Osaka June was written for the daughter of two of Reeves’ former students. Sara Serpa provides the vocals in the introduction with the band. Then follows a conversation between a Japanese mother and her daughter. The dialogue (in Japanese) was provided by Emi Miyajima Nobe and Yuzuki Nobe. It is adorable. The mother asks her little daughter “What do you want to do for fun?” “Umm, I don’t know,” answers the daughter. “You don’t know?” the mother asks again. The daughter then launches into a long description, filled with laughter of mother and daughter, as the band takes over.

The composition is as wonderful as the dialogue. Serpa continues her vocalizations amidst the rising and falling of the big band and Steve Wilson’s soprano sax is a lovely feature. Jim Ridl returns with a lighthearted and expressive solo that is a great moment. The piano is met and matched by the band before the return of Wilson’s soprano and Serpa’s vocals. This was an extraordinary piece.

Jobim’s Aquas de Marco (Waters of March) follows. Vito Chiavuzzo’s alto sax provides the introduction with a fine set of runs and rills. Ridl’s piano sets the well-known theme with Serpa’s vocals. The arrangement by Reeves is so well done and was a result of a commission from the Westchester Jazz Orchestra. (Thank you, Westchester!) The phrasing of the horns is cool and Ridl again grabs a well-deserved spotlight. I like the guy’s intuition.

The mid-point break opens the space for a gorgeous solo by trumpet master Nathan Eklund. The Reeves sections are fun and enjoyable. What a great celebration of Jobim.

L&T Suite is in three movements. The suite is dedicated to Reeves’ wife, Janet, and features elements from Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein and other Classicists. The first movement is Wants to Dance and is a sweet showcase for drummer Andy Watson and alto saxophonist Steve Wilson. Coolman’s dancing bass is a beauty.

The second movement is A Trombonist’s Tale. The lightly touched piano opens the movement. Coolman’s bass walks alongside Ridl’s piano until the horns come aboard. Matt McDonald’s stunning trombone is featured and becomes the narrator of the movement. From joy to melancholy, the tale speaks of emotions and memories that all serve to charm the listener. And it succeeds in that. The six-note motif on the piano is a captivating moment as the movement comes to a close.
The third and final movement is Hip Kitty. The is Jim Ridl’s moment.

The whole band gets in some great licks but Ridl knocks you out. Coolman and Watson definitely deserve a hearing, also. The sheets of sound near the end are blistering but the song belongs to Ridl.

The final track is Last Call. Max Siegel on bass trombone gets the first drink of the bar’s closing. It is sounds like the monologue of the guy who really has had one too many. Terry Goss’s baritone sax takes the next solo and he answers the bass trombone with the slurred aggression that proves the need for a “last call.” The band takes on a cheering and boisterous attitude with slurred speech of their own. Seneca Black intervenes with the plunger-muted trumpet and closes it out. Somebody turn out the lights and get these guys out of here.

Scott Reeves has crafted a masterpiece for a debut album. Portraits and Places brings together an assemblage of brilliant artists who are all deserving of their own spotlight but collectively focus on the music provided them by Reeves’ pen and direction. The music is exciting, even thrilling, and this is why we like big bands in the first place.
 
 
 
 
~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl
 

Fabrizio Sotti is nothing if not versatile and innovative, crossing cultural and categorical lines with the grace and ease of a ballet dancer. Her performed with Whitney Houston and Tupac, Randy Brecker and John Patitucci. And any Jazz cat who performs with Shaggy deserves attention. He has released three albums: This World Upside Down (1999), Through My Eyes (2003) and Inner Dance (2010).

Forty (Incipit Records INC223) is his fourth release as leader. With him are two formidable members of the Jazz community in the persons of Peter Slavov (bass) and Francisco Mela (drums). Forty marks his age and also a rebirth—of sorts—into straight-up Jazz in the trio format. He has spent much of his time producing great album for his label.

This is a trio for the ages. With Slavov and Mela, Sotti is able to accomplish whatever he wants to pursue because these guys have performed with the best and have made dreams come true for artists of all ages and stages.

Sotti describes them, “Peter is a complete musician with a strong melodic sense and a thorough Classical music background. He’s able to be free while respecting the tradition. Francisco also brings a melodic approach and is completely a free thinker. He’s a force of nature. When he swings, it swings hard; when he’s not swinging, it’s so creative, he fills up the music with something magical.”

Sotti composed all of the tracks with the sole exception of How Insensitive, which is, of course, by Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Redemption is the inaugural track on the album. It is a beautiful start with solo guitar then trio lightly opening the piece. Forget comparisons to Montgomery or Metheny; this is Fabrizio Sotti being his most personal and revealing. The Blues approach speaks to something deep within him, we can rest assured.

Slavov is melodic, indeed. His bass solo is a work of depth and emotion while Mela pins down the cool rhythms. This is lovely work from the entire trio.

Dangerous Walk kicks right off with a hard swing and Sotti gets to launch into an exercise in virtuosity. Sotti explains in the liner notes that it was “inspired by the walk of women, particularly my wife.” The movement is lively and attractive in all the right ways. You can imagine the boom-chick-a-boom accompaniment of drums watching Sophia Loren walk in some of the movies of the 1960s and early 70s. Like Dean Martin watching a women walking away and he turns to the camera and says, “She’s playing my song.”

Pay attention to Slavov and Mela working it over. This is a hot number.

Is That What You Think is another bit of Blues that Sotti wrote on the occasion of reading a rather rough review of one of his albums. (Maybe he’ll write me a ballad!) The melody is assertive or…let’s be honest…aggressive. Slavov and Mela take a strident approach.

Even with that, the melody is cool and refined. Sotti’s technique is spot-on and his phrasing is perfect. Slavov gets another smart solo and proves again why Sotti chose him. Mela is masterful with the brushes and gets a sweet broken solo of his own. This was a fun piece.

Beginning Now grabs you from the opening notes on Sotti’s solo nylon-stringed acoustic guitar. It bears description from Sotti himself. “I wrote the melody remembering a very sad day, when my mother organized a birthday party for my brother who was turning 5 or 6. Because we were a divorced family, not one kid showed up. That’s the moment that I decided that I would fight to find my happiness.”

It is a beautiful piece but full of the melancholy that comes from watching a loved one’s sadness. It is touching and emotional. One can almost visualize the face of the broken-hearted little boy as well as the anguish of the loving brother who must witness it.

What did the mother feel? Was she ashamed? Was she angry? Above all, she was wounded for her child.

Very fittingly, the song fades into Jobim’s How Insensitive. It is beautifully played. Of course, Jobim never disappoints and Sotti adds his own emotion to his delivery of the song. Slavov is just as emotional in his approach while Mela’s rim playing is almost like the tapping of the finger in anger.

The raw emotion of the song is almost overwhelming. Still, the love moves beyond the anger and disappointment into something gorgeous.

Thalia has a bit of a Caribbean feel and Mela makes it stick. Slavov carries the piece forward with his bass interpretation.
Sotti almost turns his guitar sound into a steel pan approach and the last minute of the song is like a dance on the beach.

So Far So Close is written for Sotti’s little brother. The ballad is almost a duo between Sotti and Slavov and the trades are warm and touching. There are moments of almost tears with Sotti’s bent notes sounding like a cry of absence and there are moments of fun and remembrance.

Between the notes, however, is a shared love and affection. It is the space between the notes that speaks so loudly of the space between the brothers. Not exactly melancholy, it is most assuredly emotional.

Forty is truly representative of Sotti’s playing in this moment. It starts with the hard funk groove and breaks into a cooler swing with Slavov and Mela. Sotti plays with complete abandon as he moves effortlessly from groove to groove, showing his fierce chops all the while. From flash to lush, bluesy to funky, Sotti is the master of expression. This deserves many hearings.

Intro to the Bridge is an ambient, effects-driven prelude to the finale of the album. It is a lovely touch.

The Bridge is gorgeous. It is named for the Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs) in Venice, the location where Sotti and his wife decided to marry. The tonality is flawless. It is an astonishingly written. The warmth of the emotion bathes the song in beauty. It is impossible to get enough of this piece or, indeed, the whole album.

Forty is a wonder. Fabrizio Sotti expresses himself with fearless abandon and reveals what beats within his heart. Peter Slavov and Francisco Mela support the moods and even enhance the moods with their easy rapport with Sotti. The writing is exquisite and the artistry of the musicians is beyond question. It is a sincere work of maturity, of wisdom, and of love.
 
 
 
 
 
~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl
 

When I think of great Hammond B-3 players, I think of Joey DeFrancesco and George Colligan. Now a new player emerges on the organ scene in the person of Jocelyn Michelle. Taken under the wing of Tony Monaco’s Chicken Coop Records label, Michelle studied with Monaco for years and has now released her debut album, Time to Play! (Chicken Coop Records CCP7024).

Joining her are husband John Rack and Bruce Forman on guitar, Doug Webb and Steve Mann on saxophones, Stan Martin and Andrea Lindborg on trumpet, Sammy K on drums, Brad Dutz on percussion and Gina Saputo and Regina Leonard Smyth on vocals (one track each). Jocelyn wrote six original pieces and arranged four others for her first album as a leader.

She began with piano lessons as a child but found herself influenced by rock keyboardists like Rod Argent, Keith Emerson and Deep Purple’s Jon Lord. Emerson, especially, was known for his Jazzy twists. Knowing that, you hear snatches of them all in her approach and even in her writing. Listen for a nod and a wink to Carlos Santana, too.

The album opens with her original, Englewood Cliffs. Doug Webb’s alto sax makes and early appearance and Bruce Forman gets an early guitar solo that he makes pay off. Forman has always been a fine contributor to any project and this is no exception. Webb’s solo is strong and sets up the trumpet of Stan Martin.

It’s at the half-way mark that Jocelyn herself takes the solo we’ve been waiting to hear. You hear a lick of Argent that brings a big smile to any fan of late 60s-early 70s keyboard rock. It is a great influence and plays well in Jazz.

Pay attention to Sammy K on drums. He’s been a long-time collaborator with Jocelyn and he is clearly comfortable with his role here.

Another original, Sylvia’s Song, follows. Steve Mann on tenor sax gets out of the gate first and creates a warm and masterful solo. I like his approach to a solo and to interacting with the rest of the band. John Rack, Jocelyn’s husband, contributes fine moments on guitar, as does Jocelyn.

It is, of course and always, on the B-3 that Jocelyn expresses herself best. There is a measure or two scattered throughout the piece that you feel like you’re back at Woodstock listening to Santana’s Soul Sacrifice. That not a complaint! It is that she has incorporated her influences extremely well.

Between Jocelyn, Rack, Mann and Sammy K, this one just lights it up.

Marvin Gaye’s Trouble Man opens with a splendid trumpet solo by Andrea Lindborg. Doug Webb takes over on the tenor sax and within a measure or two, you know what this song is without referencing the track listing.

Jocelyn’s interpretive approach is right on. She takes on the vocal lines and creates the same magic that Marvin did. And you have to give credit to Webb for his gorgeous lines. Sorry to hear this one end.

Jocelyn’s original, A Sister’s Love, cooks from the start. Steve Mann switches to alto sax for this and it is lovely. Jocelyn’s work is spacious, making so much room for Mann to give full rein to what he expresses. Bruce Forman also contributes a bouncy and buoyant guitar to the joyful work. The most light-hearted of all is Jocelyn’s organ. Fantastic writing and arranging. Loved this track.

Oh No, Could I Be in Love is also a Jocelyn original. Gina Saputo is the vocalist and she treats the bossa tune sweetly. Sammy K turns in amazing brush work and Bruce Forman comes around again on guitar. Limited to B-3, guitar, drums and vocals, the lean line-up is perfect for what Jocelyn presents. Saputo’s vocals are plaintive and persuasive and Forman and Sammy K are in fine support.

The Pink Panther Theme by Henry Mancini is always a bit to make anyone smile. A 7-year old neighborhood came by while it was playing and she immediately recognized it and said how much she loved it.

It is delivered beautifully by Jocelyn and by Stan Martin on trumpet. John Rack takes the guitar duties on this one and Doug Webb is back on tenor sax. It is fun and mischievous; the way it is supposed to be.

Gato Barbieri’s Last Tango in Paris is an extraordinary piece. Jocelyn turns it loose under the powerful strokes of Doug Webb’s tenor sax and the cool groove from Sammy K and Jocelyn herself. Forman turns in a pointed guitar solo with his fine phrasing. Jocelyn’s solo is so fine. She moves from refined to raw and back again. A wonderful restatement of Barbieri’s original.

Sunnier Days is a Jocelyn original, opening with the B-3 and Forman’s guitar. The fun erupts as Webb and Mann both play the tenor sax together then in trade. Sammy K and Jocelyn’s bass pedals fashion a fine groove that Stan Martin joins on trumpet.

Everyone gets a hot spot on this track. It is a rollicking good time for all, especially the listener.

Never Let Me Go is the Jay Livingston and Ray Evans classic. Jocelyn creates a lush backdrop with Sammy K’s brushes in attendance. The trio is completed with Bruce Forman contributing his sterling guitar work. The trio creates a soulful and moving performance of longing and desire. Sweet.

Jocelyn’s The Loss closes the album. Jocelyn moves to the piano in accompaniment to Regina Leonard Smyth’s vocals. The Gospel piece is also joined by John Rack who adds a further dimension to the soulful expression. Jocelyn’s organ work fleshes out the church imagery for the closing moments of the album.

Time to Play! is a remarkable album for any fan of the Hammond B-3 but it is a stunning album for a debut. Jocelyn Michelle has composed works of beauty and intelligence for her first outing as a leader and the artists she has gathered are extraordinary. She has created an album truly worth hearing, again and again.
 
 
 
 
~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl