Doug MacDonald is now on his 13th album as leader. He has played in all kinds of formats including a 2015 album of Doug with solo guitar. For Organisms, he is joined by three excellent artists.
   Hammond B-3 organist Carey Frank has performed regularly with Bob Mintzer and several groups of his own. And then there is Bob Sheppard, that phenomenal reeds man who has been with Chick Corea, Freddie Hubbard, the Brecker Brothers, Peter Erskine, Steely Dan and so many others. Sheppard is only on the tenor sax for this album. Drummer Ben Scholz has been in the line-ups of Roy Hargrove, Esperanza Spalding, Buddy Guy, and Aaron Neville. This is Doug’s third organ-group album.
   Organisms is comprised of 10 tracks—seven standards and three originals from Doug. The album’s opener is Sammy Cahn’s great piece, It’s You or No One. For the first several measures, it is Doug and Ben Scholz together before being joined by Frank’s Hammond. It’s a great warm-up piece as the quartet works over the well-known—but not well-worn—piece. We’re immediately reminded why we like Doug’s work.
   Jazz for All Occasions is one of the MacDonald originals and follows with a sweet intro from the whole quartet but with Doug and Sheppard clearly out front. Sheppard makes you sit up and take notice but do not lose sight of what is going on with Frank and Scholz. Doug’s guitar work is tight and clean.
   L&T starts off with some odd melodic lines being traded between guitar and tenor sax, particularly, but then the quartet gets into the full swing. This was fun stuff going on here. I dig the way Frank picks up during one of Doug’s sustained fade-aways.
   Nina Never Knew/Indian Summer is a very short (1:58) two-part medley and Doug takes it all on with cool solo guitar. He never disappoints. He carries that right into Sometime Ago before being joined by the organ and drums. Sheppard takes a seat on this piece and leaves it for the trio.
   Poor Butterfly is another solo guitar piece and returns that sweet approach from Doug of the pick-strum-pick-strum. He makes these pieces bend to his will.
   Centerpiece kicks off with Scholz’s drum chops. Then Doug and Sheppard come aboard with Frank and this swings so fine it belongs on your grandmother’s porch. It’s that bluesy and cool song from Harry “Sweets” Edison and Jon Hendricks. Love the ending that features Sheppard’s tenor sax on the outro.
   Doug’s solo guitar is the opening feature of Too Late Now by Buston Lane and Lana Lerner. Then Sheppard steps forward with that wonderful tenor sax that actually mirrors a bit of what Doug was doing, that run-walk-walk, and then Frank does the same. Sheppard proves why he is in such high demand.
   Doug solos again on Hortense. He has proven before that he can work without a net as he solos. Man, he is good. But he saves the longer pieces for the whole quartet.
   And that’s how they close out the album with Isham Jones and Gus Khan’s On the Alamo. It’s got everybody looking good as they take their final spotlights. Listen to Scholz’s straight-up swing behind all the cool leads. Sheppard and Frank take their appropriate bows from the generous Doug.
   Organisms is rightly named. It is four individual artists who are brilliant—even viable—on their own but they make up something extraordinary together. They maintain their own orbit in Doug’s gravitational pull. This is a splendid quartet of guitar, organ, sax, and drums. They trade leads over Scholz’s swing and it just works.
   And at the center of it all is Doug MacDonald, the artist who can compose, arrange, and perform exactly the vision he sees before him and find the colleagues to make it happen with him.
 
 
            ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl
 

   In November of 2013, Chiara Izzi released her debut album Motifs and splashed onto the American concert scene having already captivated European audiences. Motifs was a charming and delightful introduction for new audiences. I called her “A talent to be heard, admired and anticipated.” The great Quincy Jones told her, “Sister, you are very, very talented.”
   That was then.
   Now she has released Across the Sea with pianist and vocalist Kevin Hays and it has been worth the seemingly ages-long wait. She is soulful and charming and he is exact and original. John Scofield called him, “All encompassing” and Brad Meldau said of Kevin, “Everything he plays has a deep intelligence and swing.”
   Across the Sea is 10 songs—four are Chiara’s originals—and the choice she and Kevin made in the recording and production team is unmistakably inspired. The recording itself is a work of art, the sound is wonderfully rich and lush and mixed so incredibly well. The blend of her voice and his piano, and his voice, is something compelling and heart-warming.  
   Chiara wrote the opening piece, Circles of the Mind. Kevin’s piano and Nir Felder’s guitar create an atmospheric introduction and Chiara joins the ballad. It is a sweet description of a girl struggling to grow while reconnecting with her own innocence. Rob Jost (bass) and Greg Joseph (drums) with Hays make space for Felder’s well-timed and inspired guitar work. But Hays catches the listener’s attention early and often.
   I’ve said it before and I will say it again, Chiara’s vocals are simply charming.
   One of the biggest surprises on the album is I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face. From 1956’s My Fair Lady by Lerner and Loewe, Chiara and Kevin prove the timelessness of the song. Kevin joins with Chiara in this sweet—but not syrupy—vocal duet that melts the heart. The original was great but Chiara and Kevin make it marvelous. I can’t get enough of this one.
   James is that well-known Pat Metheny song about James Taylor from the 1982 album Offramp. Kevin wrote the lyrics and it is the finest tribute to James Taylor that one could imagine. Gregoire Maret contributes an excellent harmonica solo as Kevin follows him on the Fender Rhodes. It makes you dig out your James Taylor albums. But then…
   They do it for you! They follow with James Taylor’s own Secret O’ Life. Cool track order. Chiara and Kevin trade vocals and then duet together. It is a splendid example of the Old World and the New coming together with their different world-views and experiences and creating a warm expression of agreement and solidarity.
   Two for the Road by Henry Mancini is from the fil of the same name with Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney. Mancini once referred to Two for the Road as his favorite of all his compositions. Mancini was adept at portraying loss, sadness, love, and even joy, in his soundtracks and Chiara and Kevin mirror that same talent and skill in their treatment of such a beautiful piece of music. Rob Jost does double duty with his turn on French horn and adds warmth to an already warm song. Exquisite.
   Chiara composed Across the Sea. In the first stanza, she sings the line But if I return/I’ll miss my chance… And Chiara sings it exactly the way Billie Holiday intoned I don’t stand/A ghost of a chance in the song Ghost of a Chance. I don’t know if that was intentional but, when I heard Chiara’s delivery of the lyric, I could hear Billie. It was a sweet nod-and-a-wink. Plus, Maret returns with the fine harmonica solo and Kevin follows with some sweet Jazz piano.
   The performances were stellar but the composition itself is deserving of so much credit. It is almost as if the artists were as inspired by the piece as Chiara was. Everyone turned in priceless contributions.
   Viaggo Elegiaco was written by Chiara and Kevin. Chiara sings the Elegaic Travel song in Italian and it just steals your heart. Kevin gets in some of most exciting piano within the trio portions. Then we get rewarding sax additions from Christ Potter to make this a terrific framework for the musicians. I found myself enjoying the originals as much, actually more, than the covers.
   Another original from Chiara (and Rosario Bonoccorso) follows with Verson Il Mare (or To the Sea). Jost’s bass opens the piece and is soon joined by Chiara. This is a near-bossa nova song and piano, bass and drums lay down the hot rhythm section for a harmonica insertion. That trio of Kevin, Jost and Joseph makes your hair stand on end—they are that tight. And Chiara is as lovely as always.
   Tierna Nardis is an arrangement of Miles Davis’ 1958 composition Nardis. This was during Davis’ modal period and was treated over and over again by Bill Evans in multiple settings and recordings. Kevin boldly takes the master’s work and owns it. Omer Avital’s “ancestral” oud playing is a special treat. Chiara’s vocals are as much instrumental as they are lyrical. Her hums add beautifully to the song. For a fan of Miles, this treatment pays off in vast dividends.
   The album ends with the song With You I’m Born Again. Written by David Shire and Carol Connor, I first heard the song as performed by Billy Preston and Syreeta. I heard the song in 1979 and—always and forever a Billy Preston fan—grabbed up the 45-rpm single.
   Again, Chiara and Kevin sing in duet in a fitting and fabulous conclusion to a fabulous album. It is just their vocals and solo piano that end the album. Just as it should be.
   Across the Sea is Chiara Izzi’s second album but she and Kevin Hays have such poise and personality and undiluted talent and—I’ll say it again—charm that one could easily think that this was their tenth album together. They are perfect together.
 
 
                    ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl

   When I reviewed Sivan Arbel’s 2016 album Broken Lines, I wrote, “She makes me think of Sarah Vaughan who had the raw power but also the sweetness that made her irresistible. And Sivan Arbel is irresistible.” It’s always rewarding to be proven right because that opinion has not changed in the intervening years. In fact, it has been reinforced by the new album.
 Sivan has continued to perform and compose and evolve and it has all been tracked with great attention through Facebook and YouTube. What she revealed along the way was like the aromas coming from your grandmother’s kitchen. The release of her latest album is like finally sitting down at the dinner table.
   On Change of Light, Sivan has composed six of the seven tracks, with the sole exception of Water Song, the fourth track, which is an Israeli folk song. And, once again, she has also gathered to herself that splendid array of artists to support her vision and her compositions. It is almost the same line-up as that on Broken Lines and I couldn’t be happier. Shai Portugaly is on piano, Pera Krstajic (the only newcomer) is on bass and Yogev Gabay is on drums forming the core trio. Joining them are Ron Warburg (trumpet), Jack Sheehan (alto saxophone), and Ori Jacobson (tenor saxophone). They, too, have improved on what I thought could not be improved.
   Change is the opening track and, as much as I loved the opening of Broken Lines, she has truly leapt forward. Cymbal washes and sweet piano open the album. Gabay and Jacabson have a fantastic row together. The rhythm section, the horns, everybody shines on. And those exquisite vocals… Sivan makes these unexpected shifts that take your breath away.
   Homesick is a beautiful lamentation that is underscored with Portugaly’s sweet touch on the piano and a melodic play between the horns. It climbs and soars while Krstajic’s bass and Gabay’s drums anchor it all. Even as early as the end of this, the second track, it has become clear that Sivan’s composing is rich and full of texture and lush colors. And these musicians know exactly how to treat it. Krstajic’s bass work nearly the close is especially interesting and then the whole band joins him to carry it before Sivan and Warburg’s trumpet close it out. Beautiful.
   Then the horns pick up the intro to Solitude in one of the coolest transitions you’d ever want to hear. The melody does not follow the line you would expect as the horns and Sivan run now together-now apart. The vocal control Sivan shows is stunning.
   As mentioned, Water Song is an Israeli folk song and it is beautiful. An inherent sadness opens the song before surrendering to a determined optimism. The bass and drums create a thunder that heralds the onset of rain. The Portugaly taps at the end keys as Warburg creates a sheet of lightning effect with the horn. This is a Jazz tone poem. Cascades and torrents of sound rush over you and the effect is wondrous.
   One of the sweetest moments on the album is He Sees Her. But it is not the syrupy sweet stuff that is truly beneath Sivan Arbel. It is captivating—even rapturous—in its staggering, overwhelming emotion. Cacophony is supplanted by a skyward ascent. Fascinating.
   Omri is a cool, andante, languid glide. The trumpet is deliberately throaty and raw while the piano holds the structure around Sivan’s plaintive vocals. At 8:12, it is the longest piece on the album and you love every minute of it. Omri just may be the quintessential Jazz vocal expression for the 21st Century.
   The album closes with Not Over Yet which is a tease, if ever there was one. Portugaly and Gabay have some cool duet time and then Krstajic’s bass joins for an excellent trio excursion. The horns jump aboard and everyone carries it together to the abrupt but satisfying end.
   This is vocal Jazz the way I like. It is full of unexpected turns and twists and follows rivulets to wondrous places. It intrigues your head and touches your heart.



               ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is ​The Jazz Owl

   ​Danny Barrett breathes a warm and emotion that is rarely to be found anymore. In fact, a comparison of anyone to Danny is an exercise in futility. It is almost easy to overlook the excellent musicians with supporting Danny, his voice and emotion is just that captivating.
   Quietly There by the great Johnny Mandel is an immediate example. Underneath Danny’s great delivery is a beautiful piano by Bill O’Connell and the other rhythm players like Kenny Davis on bass and Billy Drummond on drums. I’ve been a fan of Drummond’s for a long time and his exquisite work with Danny Barrett is one more jewel in his crown. And these great players wait for the interludes to let it rip. No one gets in each other’s lane. That remains true into the next track and, indeed, all the way through the album. Dave Valentin’s flute is an excellent addition.
   Danny’s cool baritone is excitingly unique, as I said before, don’t bother with comparisons. The fact that I want to sing along is amazing enough for me.
   Nothing Ever Changes My Love for You is the Jack Segal classic and O’Connell tears it up along with Davis and Drummond, and Daniel Sadownick on percussion. The horn section of Joe Mangarelli (trumpet) and Jerry Weldon (tenor sax) are on fire but Danny keeps his coolness. It is a yin-yang view of unchangeableness in love. It is fire and ice, order and chaos, darkness and light that buffets our love but Danny lets us know that love can remain unaltered by circumstances.
   The George and Ira Gershwin standard Isn’t It a Pity is so melancholic in its lament of late love. Joe Mangarelli’s sweet flugelhorn is just the right touch at just the right time. Danny’s delivery speaks of “Glad you’re here, just wish I’d found you so much sooner.” The song is a personal favorite of mine, speaking as a man who didn’t meet the love of his life until late. The lines that get me are
     My nights were sour
    Spent with Schopenhauer
   And while Schopenhauer is enough to turn any night sour on its own, to think that I could have been with the love of my life makes Schopenhauer even more sour. Sonnets would have better than syllogisms.
   Irving Berlin’s They Say That Falling in Love is Wonderful is itself wonderful. Paul Meyers who was also on the first two tracks gets a sweet solo on this piece. He introduces the stylish and warm piano of O’Connell who, in turn, gives way to Valentin’s flute. The guitar and flute contribute to the wistfulness of the song in breezy, dreamy ways and Danny closes the song out with his own shrug of the shoulders. Outstanding.
   I got to know Danny some time ago and it seemed that our conversations were as much about baseball as about music. Danny is a baseball man, start to finish. His kindness shows through in his sympathy expressed to me when my Baltimore Orioles lose.
   So, Baseball Interlude has a special place in my heart because it shows the Danny that I have come to know. Especially when he sings from Take Me Out to the Ball Game and slowly intones “I don’t care if I never get back…” Danny sings it like he means it.
   First, let’s set one thing straight. Danny sings the correct lyric and I didn’t expect any less. Some people erroneously sing, “I don’t care if I ever get back.” But Danny nails the line and he does it with the full feeling that he really doesn’t care if he never gets back “from the old ball game.” Next, he doesn’t sing out the line to the end. That is perfect because it leaves the hearer imagining the languid summer fun at the ball park and just wanting to stay forever.  It makes me want to catch a ball game with Danny, someday.
   Then Kenny Davis’ bass changes it up (pitch metaphor, get it?). He introduces us to the narration of James Randolph who gives a brisk and passionate account of one of baseball greatest ever. He begins with “He was born January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia…” As soon as I heard it, I breather, “Ah, Jackie…” He was telling the story, of course, of Jackie Robinson. And he told it well. The story of Jackie is the story of baseball—overcoming odds and adversities, the long struggle of the longest season in sports, the most difficult things (“Hitting a round ball with a round bat squarely is the hardest thing in all of sports,” said Ted Williams), and keeping your cool when things get hot is the toughest thing of all. And Jackie did it all. The story of Jackie is the story of life and love, if you have an understanding heart. Danny Barrett understands.
   He then returns to Take Me Out to the Ball Game. He sings it in its completeness. Beautifully, with Davis bowing the bass.
Sammy Cahn’s I Cover the Waterfront follows. He introduces the piece with a slow vocal before being joined by Enrico Granafei’s harmonica and Brian Murphy on vibes along with Meyers’ guitar. All the while, the piano-bass-drums lay down the meaningful rhythm section. Gorgeous stuff.
   How Am I to Know kicks off with the terrific tumbling of Drummond’s drum work. The rhythm and horn sections hop aboard tightly and Danny gets in with the best of it. The trading between horns is great fun as the rhythm section keeps it swinging. Bill O’Connell is the arranger for the material on the album and he proves Dave Valentin’s point of “I never heard him take a bad solo.” Danny couldn’t have asked for a better band for this material. And then he adds his own magic to the mystery.
   Blue Gardenia is a bluesy mover. Again, O’Connell, Davis, and Drummond create an intriguing and lush background for Danny’s evocative vocals. This is slow-dancing music here. I didn’t want it to end.
   Indian Summer the album ends with a three-part medley, You’re My Everything/It Might As Well Be Spring/Indian Summer.  O’Connell and Davis bounce the background with Drummond’s brushwork before being joined by Weldon’s tenor saxophone. O’Connell again offers up the flawless piano solo. Then into the Rodgers and Hammerstein standard It Might As Well Be Spring. Valentin joins the Latin-rhythmic treatment for a raucous interlude before fading seamlessly into Indian Summer with O’Connell-Davis-Drummond carrying the day with accompaniment form Murphy’s vibes. Weldon’s sax joins Murphy and the rhythm section before the close-out. Danny’s voice fades away and the sustained piano takes us out.
   Indian Summer is a complete-game performance by a guy with complete command of the plate. Danny Barrett chooses the right set list, the right musicians, the right intonations, the right time to give us something that will remain. It deserves a cherished spot on anyone’s permanent playlist.


             ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is ​The Jazz Owl
​

   Icarus dreamed of it. Maya Angelou spoke of it. To be caged is to dream of freedom but to be uncaged is to dare all, to risk all—no matter the consequences, no matter the peril.
   Wings Uncaged is a musical Pauline epistle of freedom for the sake of freedom. And it is a Jeremiad on freedom in the Age of Trumpism.
   In her previous albums, Aimée Allen sang in sweet, sometimes sultry, tones of love and longing. In an era when sweetness is in danger of being trampled by savagery, Aimée responds with unquestionable force, and subtle wit, and divine beauty.
   As ever, François Moutin’s bass work and his compositional contributions is peerless. He deftly navigates the determined shift to proclamation in partnership with Kush Abadey on drums and Billy Test on piano. They provide the punch to Aimée’s oracles. They are the Greek chorus in Aimée’s drama.
   With beautiful covers interspersed, even those are transformed into revelations of emancipation and self-determination. Listen for it. You will hear it. However, it is those magnificent, sometimes prescient, originals of hers that make every Aimée Allen album a marvel.
    Touch the Sun rejoices in the Icarusian liberty of cooperative flight. It is what the camaraderie of boundlessness should be, as we reach possibilities together. While Shooting Star warns of the recklessness possible in freedom. Aimée sings, “And everybody knows you/Can’t keep a moth from flame/Though you may call his name/To fire he goes.”
   Night Owl speaks of the wisdom in disenthralment and the responsibilities of autonomy. 
At the end of the day, it's one thing to have wings but it’s quite another to be uncaged. But it is so easy to lose that freedom. Freedom that is so tenuous, so fragile, and so very charming with its inevitable, irresistible, seducing complacency.
   In My Web sees Aimée’s switch of perspective to the view of that which robs us of our freedom. Democracy How is the warning—not preachy but prophetic.
   The music is mesmerizing, enlightening, and always an exercise in rare beauty. Her vocals penetrate the heart and quicken the soul. Test, Moutin, and Abadey never supplant; they truly support.
   With it all, Aimée sings a psalmist’s subtle caveat: A gilded cage is still a cage.
 


​         ~Travis Rogers, Jr is the Jazz Owl

   If you aren’t having the time of your life when listening to Dale Head, well, you just need to lighten up. His 2015 release, Swing, Straight Up, was a powerhouse big band album that attracted Grammy consideration on three of the songs contained.
   He keeps the big band format on Swing on the Rocks with his Mindwinder Orchestra. The big surprise is the guest appearance of the great Paul Shaffer who told Dale that this album would “blow their minds.” He was correct.
   Swing on the Rocks is a sweet title because the album does indeed swing all over these rock tunes from Ted Nugent, Van Halen, the Police, the Eagles, Van Morrison, the Edgar Winter Group, Aerosmith, Paul Simon, and more.
   Truth be told, the only one of the above-mentioned that I ever liked at all was Van Morrison. But Dale Head gives these songs a cooler treatment than they ever experienced before and I came to love them all.  To keep things honest, Billie Holiday is tossed in beautifully plus we get to experience one terrific Dale Head original.
   The album opens with Ted Nugent’s Hey, Baby. Steve Dunne’s guitar and Paul Shaffer’s piano and B3 organ are raw and swinging. All I could think was “But I don’t like Ted Nugent!” Listen to Dunne’s blistering guitar and the power of the horns and tell me you aren’t smiling. Dale himself sings with an audible smile, as well. He knows how to treat a song.
   Van Halen’s Little Dreamer never sounded like this. While you may remember David Lee Roth’s original vocals, Dale’s delivery is so much cooler, so much Jazzier. So much more swing. Chad Quist delivers the great guitar work and the big band pushes the power of the song.
   Van Morrison’s Into the Mystic was excellent in the original recording. Dale and the Mindwinder Orchestra keep the original gentle swing and Dale sings the tune with a devoted reverence for the original. Then Dale treats us to a fine flugelhorn solo, beautifully done.
   Dale recalls a cognac with Joe Williams in 1985 and was told to “tell the story” of the pieces he chose to perform. He has fulfilled that counsel with dedication and purpose. Maybe this is why Dale’s treatments so often surpass the originals.
   Billie Holiday’s God Bless the Child fondly recalls the Blood, Sweat & Tears version. This was such a sweet delivery of such a powerful song. Then the band breaks into a Latin swing with fantastic horn work from Trombone solo: Al Bent and Mike Rinta on trombones, Dave Lyn Scott and Steffen Kuehn on trumpets, and Alex Murzyn on alto sax. Good Lord, this was fine, fine stuff.
   Fiona Apple’s Criminal from 1997 was a strong retelling of Apple’s confessional but replaces the heavy bass and drums drive with an even more driving horn section. This one eats you alive.
   Frankenstein is from the Edgar Winter Group’s 1972 album, They Only Come Out at Night. Edgar Winter was a smoking keyboardist but Dale brings in Paul Shaffer and a massive horn section to take Winter’s instrumental to swing town. Jeff Sanford starts off the solos on alto sax, followed by Steffen Kuehn’s trumpet and Erik Hughes on trombone. Things get monstrous with the duel between guitarist Chad Quist and Paul Shafer’s keyboards. Dale steps in with scat as Andy Fraga’s drum work is laying down the thunder. I wish the 15-year-old me had been able to enjoy this version.
   Dale Head wrote Paranoia in 1995. There are cool corps progressions and hot solos from Chad Quist and Paul Shaffer. The menacing guitar and the drive of the bass and drum with Dale’s frenetic scat paint a dark image of the mental state. It is one tight tune.
   Murder By Numbers comes from the 1983 album Synchronicity. Sting himself said the song was about the evil deeds of politicians. “Murder is the sport of the elected.” The lyrics detail the ease of getting oneself into the mindset of committing murder. Dale delivers the song in a film noir atmosphere with his cool scat and excellent trumpet solo.
   Thirteen Women was the 1954 tune originally titled Thirteen Women (and One Man) and was about the dangers of the Hydrogen bomb and survival of only the singer and 13 women. It is presented in melodramatic intensity with baritone saxman Byron Colborn. Dale’s vocals are smartly enunciated in his unique style.
   Paul Simon’s Baby Driver appeared on the 1970 Simon and Garfunkel album Bridge Over Troubled Water. The Simon and Garfunkel version was a bit rockabilly but Dale Head gives a more boogie-woogie treatment. And it works. Jeff Sanford and Byron Colborn bounce the sax solos with high energy and great fun. Some cool time changes depict the varying speeds as producer and engineer Andy Greenberg acts as the voice of the race announcer.
   Aerosmith’s Walk This Way was a 1975 rocker original and got a hip-hop revision with Run DMC in 1986. Dale brings up the heavy horns to turn it into a funk piece of bone-crushing proportions. Steve Dunne works a great guitar and Dave Bass gives a great piano addition. The horns push the tune relentlessly and Dale seems to be having the time of his life.
Wasted Time from the Eagles follows. Dale is joined in a duet by Jean Fox. What a great choice. She is an excellent partner with Dale and the big band orchestration carries the song so extremely well.
   The penultimate song on the album is I Know a Little written by Steve Gaines for the Southern-rock band Lynyrd Skynard in 1977. I couldn’t believe it was the same song. Dale took a simple song and made it a big band aficionado’s delight. It swings and swings hard. “I know a little about love and, baby, I can guess the rest.” Fun stuff.
   Rush’s New World Man is brilliantly reworked. It keeps the cool Geddy Lee bass line but the horns get to carry melody and Dale gives the vocals a straight-up delivery. The song opens with a NASA transmission of the Apollo 11 flight and closes with the same. For a space egg-head like me, it was the coolest possible way to open and close the piece. Also an excellent way to close the album.
   Dale Head never disappoints. Whether he is reworking Jazz standards or rock and pop tunes, he makes them swing and breathes his own life and will into the songs—often giving a different or expanded message for the time and space that we occupy. He turns the big band format into a Greek chorus of our modern drama. All done with a smile and a wink.
 
                            ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl

   I first came to know the work of Gary Lindsay with his arrangement of Arturo Sandoval’s album, I Remember Clifford, a CD that remains among my most-often-played stack and for which he received a Grammy nomination in Jazz arranging.
   Lindsay’s arranging was in full swing long before that excellent album, however. He had arranged for big bands and has performed on alto saxophone for the biggest names you care to name—like Jaco Pastorius and the Brecker Brothers. His is also the director of the Master's in Music program in Studio/Jazz Writing and the Doctoral program in Jazz Composition at the University of Miami. It doesn’t get much better than that.
   He also writes, arranges, and performs for the Miami Saxophone Quartet and the South Florida Jazz Orchestra. Enviable gigs, one and all.
   Having released two previous albums, the South Florida Jazz Orchestra has now released The Music of Gary Lindsay: Are We Still Dreaming on Summit Records. It is the very first album dedicated entirely to Lindsay’s amazing big band arrangements and it includes some of South Florida’s hottest Jazz artists as well as those from New York. The album is the perfect storm of performers and compositions/arrangements with excellent production from trombonist John Fedchock.
   Moment in Time is the lead-off number. It is an original by Lindsay himself and features a cool flugelhorn solo from New York’s Alex Norris. There is a definite Brazilian feel to the piece. Pay attention to the guitar work of John Hart. Moment in Time could very well be used by the Miami Tourism Bureau as a soundtrack to welcoming visitors to the Miami area. It is warm and sunny and lively, just like South Florida.
I confess. I say that as a native Florida boy raised in South Florida.
   Spring is Here/Up Jumped Spring is a fantastic medley of Rodgers & Hart and Freddie Hubbard. It features Julia Dollison on vocals who can sweep the vocal spectrum with ease. Dante Luciani delivers a smoking trombone and Phil Doyle nails the tenor sax bit in the Hubbard section. As vibrant as the colors of Spring, the medley is splashed with multi-faceted hues of sound and lyric. The seamless transition from Rodgers to Hubbard is a moment to savor.
   Toward Hope is the second original from Gary Lindsay. It has a slow, sweet introduction with Rick Margitza’s tenor sax playing over Martin Bejerano’s piano. It opens as a semi-classical piece that slowly evolves into large ensemble Jazz. I especially enjoy the way Margitza interweaves the counterpoint. This is beautifully written and exactingly performed.
   Nicole Yarling is the guest vocalist on Easy Living, the 1937 standard by Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin. It is full of imagery from languid life in the South and Yarling adds mightily to that feel. Her effortless scat and impassioned delivery are brilliant. Greg Gisbert has the trumpet solo and is just so very, very good.
   John Yarling sits the drum throne and is impressive throughout. Give him a good listen and as well as director Chuck Bergeron on basses. This is a fine rhythm section. That carries well into Better Days Ahead where Bergeron and John Hart work the Pat Metheny tune so well.
   Lindsay admits to being a Metheny fan and got to play the arrangement with Metheny when he performed at the university. Incidentally, Pat Metheny had the distinction of being the youngest instructor (age 18) at that illustrious Jazz school.
Are We Still Dreaming, the title song, once again features Julia Dollison with the wordless vocalizations and also once again guitarist John Hart. Gary Lindsay wrote the tune that was inspired by trumpet artist Kenny Wheeler. The dreamlike vocal impressions and Hart’s stirring guitar alongside Gary Keller’s sax leads are intoxicating. There is a good reason this is the title track. Just wonderful.
   The album closes with two tracks set at a high bar. ‘Round Midnight and UMMG.
   Thelonious Monk’s ‘Round Midnight was arranged by Lindsay in 1977 as a master’s degree project and was inspired by the Stan Kenton style. You can hear it, too. Latin Grammy Award-winner Ed Calle is the featured soloist on sax. It is amazingly delivered by Calle and the arrangement is wonderful. I loved this.
   Billy Strayhorn’s UMMG (Upper Manhattan Medical Group) works on so many levels. It is faithful to the Strayhorn original but it carries a unique voice of its own. Four artists are featured on UMMG: Mike Brignola on baritone sax and Major Bailey on bass trombone, pianist Martin Bejerano and trumpet master Jason Carder. Each one deserves the spotlight. Lindsay’s arrangement of UMMG is an exquisite retelling of the Strayhorn story.
   Indeed all of The Music of Gary Lindsay: Are We Still Dreaming is a wonderful telling and/or retelling of a remarkable story—the story of Gary Lindsay, an excellent musician, an imaginative composer, and a gifted arranger. Chuck Bergeron and the South Florida Jazz Orchestra are just the ones to tell that amazing tale.
 
 
       ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl

   Christine Hitt released her debut album You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To in 1999. Her follow-up album, Magical Kite, is worth the wait.
   Christine married a trumpet player and has two sons who appear on this album. Currently, Christine teaches at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Bobby Sanabria calls the UW-EC Jazz department “The best-kept secret in Jazz.”
   Christine recorded the album in Los Angeles at Capitol Records with producer Geoffrey Keezer and pianist John Beasley. With her are Bob Sheppard on alto saxophone, John Hamilton and Gene Coye on drums, Leo Amuedo on guitar, Walter Rodriquez on percussion, Eric Hitt on bass, and Erin Bode and Cory Hitt on vocals. Keezer sits in on piano on Around the World.
   The album is diverse in its selections and compositions—from soul to swing, funk to folk—but Christine turns them all into Jazz. Let me just come right and say that I was stunned at what I heard in my first listening. That feeling has not gone away.
   The first surprise came with the opening tune, Wade in the Water. Raised as a church boy in the South, this song was important to me. It was an anthem in the Civil Rights Movement and our church sang it often. In fact, it was a song that I would find myself singing when I was alone.
   Christine never loses the spirituality and soulfulness of the song in her treatment of it. Plus, her son Eric Hitt turns in a cool bass solo and John Beasley works a terrific piano as Bob Sheppard works the alto sax beautifully. Sheppard’s sax punctuations were fantastic. Talk about being propelled into the album.
   Magical Kite, the title track, is a Christine original that was inspired by her father. He was a band director and was a great influence on shaping Christine’s musical artistry. The pastoral imagery is well-represented by a Vince Guaraldi-style piano accompaniment by John Beasley. Gene Coye’s drumming is precise and so appropriate. Christine’s son Cory joins in on backing vocals and the effect is amazing.
   Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing is the Stevie Wonder hit but Christine opens, not with Stevie’s fake-Spanish tirade, but a cool piano-guitar-bass intro that sets a sweet stage for Christine and Cory’s vocals. The rhythm section plays it understated but cool. Eric Hitt is a terrific bassist. In fact, he is the one who connected Christine and Keezer. Beasley’s melodica is a nice touch. They abandon Stevie’s vivace bounce for an andante stroll and it just couldn’t be any cooler.
   James Taylor’s Shower the People never grabbed me back in the day but Christine’s version certainly does. The song opens with a staccato instrumental introduction. Christine joins in over the instruments as they continue in the same way they began. The accompaniment smooths out and Christine’s delivery with Erin Bode on backing vocals is right on. Walter Rodriguez’ percussion is very pronounced and serves the song well.
   Yardbird Suite by Charlie Parker is one sweet suite. (It had to be said.) Christine’s scat and Sheppard’s alto sax are a true delight. Eric Hitt and Hamilton are terrific together. Beasley’s piano bits are rich. You have to love this one.
Believe in Me is a Dan Fogelberg piece. Christine has Leo Amuedo open with solo acoustic guitar which is far more rewarding than Fogelberg’s orchestral lushness on the original recording. Christine strips away the sap and reveals the beauty of the piece in a simpler approach that almost becomes a lullaby. It still has the classic Fogelberg chords but Christine makes it work on a completely different level. Erin Bode sings with Christine. These two are wonderful together. Amuedo’s guitar gets special focus.
   Christine opens with Beasley on Shine On Harvest Moon in a cool ballad before turning on the swing. Somewhere Rosemary Clooney is digging this. The whole band takes this into a nice direction. Eric gets a smooth solo and listen to those chord changes.
   Smile was written by Charlie Chaplin for his movie Modern Times. The lyrics were added later but taken from lines in the film. It has become a standard and, being a Chaplin film fan, I would have loved for Christine’s version to have been in the film. One can always imagine. It is simply beautiful version that Christine gives us.
   Christine closes the album in a duet with Geoffrey Keezer on piano. Around the World was made popular by Nat King Cole. This duet of Christine and Geoffrey Keezer is as beautiful as any version ever heard. It is emotional. It is sweet. It is wam. It is the perfect finish to an album that is emotional and sweet and warm.
   Magical Kite is worth the 18-year wait.
  
 
       ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl
 
 
 
 

   Kate Reid has issued her third album under the title of The Heart Already Knows. She proves the truth of the album’s title with the effect of the first track, Something to Live For. Her sweet and smoky alto is paired with Paul Meyers’ cool guitar. In fact, the whole album is in a duet format with fantastic artists like Meyers and Romero Lubambo and the inimitable Larry Koonse on guitars and Taylor Eigsti and the great Fred Hersch on piano. Add to that Peter Eldridge as producer and the stage is set for something wonderful. Indeed, the heart already knows what is to come.
   Meyers kicks off the album beautifully on Something to Live For. Kate presents a sultry wistfulness in her longing for what we all want. You can almost picture her looking out of an apartment window looking for her hoped-for future. Kate and Meyers create a great introduction to this sweet album in her arrangement of the great Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington piece. In fact, Kate arranged all but two of the songs on the album.
   Just a Lucky So and So is the other track with Paul Meyers. They stay with Ellington and Kate and Meyers give a cool bluesy delivery of the piece
   Confessin’ is the first appearance of the busy and brilliant Larry Koonse on guitar. It is a straightforward treatment of the piece made popular by Louis Armstrong. Fats Waller had recorded a version with different lyrics in 1929. Armstrong’s version appeared the very next year.
   Kate starts off a capella and is soon joined by Koonse’s fine accompaniment. There is a rich but brief dialogue of exchanged delivery/pause between them before Kate slides into a scat. This was a splendid example of Kate’s natural affinity with the piece.
   Kate and Koonse continue their duet on Two Grey Rooms. Peter Eldridge arranged this melancholic Joni Mitchell piece. Frankly, I like this version better than the original. Kate’s voice and her interpretation make the song believable and touching. Plus, Larry Koonse handles the guitar treatment to absolutely stunning effect. He gives a tremolo aspect towards the end that evokes imagery of wind on the windowpane (at least, in my mind) and the picture is near-perfect as painted by Kate and Koonse.
   Fred Hersch leads off No More with a haunting piano introduction. It was a tune made popular by Billie Holiday who always had a way of bringing a tear to your eye. While Kate is more defiant, Hersch keeps up the Hitchcock-esque accompaniment that actually belies Kate’s bravado. This was a winner.
   Hersch also joined Kate on If I Should Lose You. This is an oft-recorded song done by Dinah Washington, Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin and even Frank Sinatra as well as instrumentalists from Charlie Parker to McCoy Tyner and Keith Jarrett. This was a last-minute addition to the recording session and Kate and Hersch did it in one take. Beautifully done.
   Hersch was with Kate on a third track, Lazin’ Around with You, which is a Fred Hersch original. Hersch wrote the lyrics in addition to the music and Kate delivers them splendidly. This is no easy bit. Hersch has written a complex piece but Kate treats is wonderfully. As far a musicianship, this is the piece that sets Kate apart. Okay, I’ll confess. This was my favorite song on the album.
   Endless Stars was also composed by Fred Hersch (lyrics by Norma Winstone) and has a samba feel to it and Romero Lumbambo plays it brilliantly. Of course, a Brazilian guitarist is exactly the right choice for this piece. He practically leaps from the speakers as Kate gives a lively but soulful delivery.
   Lumbambo gives a gorgeous introduction to Minds of Their Own, written by fellow Brazilian Ivan Guimarães Lins. Lins accompanied Nancy Wilson on her recording of this on R.S.V.P. in 2004. Lumbambo and Kate are as marvelous as Wilson and Lins. Okay, maybe this was my favorite.
   Pianist Taylor Eigsti joined Kate for Busy Being Blue by the album’s producer Peter Eldridge. What a beautiful composition and how well executed by Kate and Eigsti. Kate says that her performance of this song helped land her the teaching gig at Frost School of Music. Hearing her sing this could make anyone give her anything she wanted. This is a perfect triad of composition-vocalist-pianist. No, maybe this one is my favorite. Good Lord.
   Eigsti also appears on James Taylor’s Secret of Life. He gives a hammering pulse intro to the song. Kate and Eigsti arranged the song together and it is sweet. Who knew James Taylor could write Jazz? There is a moment when Eigsti rests and Kate sings alone to beautiful effect. The arrangement is stellar and the performance is incredible. The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time. Suiting parting words for a wonderful album.
   The Heart Already Knows is exciting and comforting, thought-provoking and heart-warming. Kate Reid and her duet partners swing, bop, and stroll their way through an album that satisfies the insatiable.
 
       ~Travis Rogers, Jr. is The Jazz Owl