Live At Giannelli Square Vol.2
By Dan Bilawsky
Promise of more to come came with the numerical tag at the end of pianist Alan Broadbent's superb Live At Giannelli Square: Vol. 1 (Chilly Bin, 2010); two years later, he's made good on that promise. Live At Giannelli Square: Vol. 2, recorded as its predecessor was just seeing release, finds Broadbent and his brilliantly understated trio mates back at the same San Fernando Valley venue, making magic in their own sweet way.
The class, charm and musical savoir-faire that were ever-present on the first album, and virtually every recording Broadbent has made under his name in recent years, are evident throughout this sequel. While this record is a logical extension of Live At Giannelli Square: Vol. 1 in tone, tact and musical temperament, it stands apart because it highlights Broadbent's own written work. Much attention is often given to his arranging and skills as a standards-playing encyclopedia, but his own compositions rarely receive their due. Broadbent forces the issue here, tipping the programming scales in favor of his own pieces and it's a wise decision. The sly and gently swinging "Blues In 'n' Out" is finger-snapping good, Broadbent brilliantly plays off of bassist Putter Smith on "Wandering Road," and he moves from romantic and rhapsodic notions to late night musings on "Sing A Song Of Dameron." Tempos remain mild for most of the set, but the final, album-ending original, "Three For All," has some spring in its step, which helps to fire the imagination and musical muscles of all involved.
While Broadbent turns his attention to his own tunes, he doesn't turn his back on the jazz canon. His fingers probe the lower recesses of the piano as "You Don't Know What Love Is" gets underway and he makes the instrument twinkle in the aural light as reaches its final resting place. George Shearing's oft-ignored "Conception" also proves to be an inspired choice, but it's the album-opening essay on "Yesterdays" that comes off as the strongest number on the date. Broadbent shifts effortlessly from inside, down the middle soloing to quirky, outside sidebars as he demonstrates some incredible, Roger Kellaway-like independence. Smith and drummer Kendall Kay move from snazzy understatement to deep groove-making here and Kay delivers a simple, yet not-so-simple solo that creates a "hear a pin drop" moment.
So many trios operating today try to make their mark by swimming against the current or turning performances into athletic displays, but that's not the Broadbent way. These three men make the point that no-fuss music, made by exceptionally knowledgeable and skilled craftsmen, will always rise to the top.
Track Listing:
Yesterdays; You Don't Know What Love Is; Blues In 'n' Out; Wandering Road; Conception; Sing A Song Of Dameron; Three For All.
Personnel:
Alan Broadbent: piano; Putter Smith: bass; Kendall Kay: drums.
Makaya McCraven
By Dan Bilawsky
Promise of more to come came with the numerical tag at the end of pianist Alan Broadbent's superb Live At Giannelli Square: Vol. 1 (Chilly Bin, 2010); two years later, he's made good on that promise. Live At Giannelli Square: Vol. 2, recorded as its predecessor was just seeing release, finds Broadbent and his brilliantly understated trio mates back at the same San Fernando Valley venue, making magic in their own sweet way.
The class, charm and musical savoir-faire that were ever-present on the first album, and virtually every recording Broadbent has made under his name in recent years, are evident throughout this sequel. While this record is a logical extension of Live At Giannelli Square: Vol. 1 in tone, tact and musical temperament, it stands apart because it highlights Broadbent's own written work. Much attention is often given to his arranging and skills as a standards-playing encyclopedia, but his own compositions rarely receive their due. Broadbent forces the issue here, tipping the programming scales in favor of his own pieces and it's a wise decision. The sly and gently swinging "Blues In 'n' Out" is finger-snapping good, Broadbent brilliantly plays off of bassist Putter Smith on "Wandering Road," and he moves from romantic and rhapsodic notions to late night musings on "Sing A Song Of Dameron." Tempos remain mild for most of the set, but the final, album-ending original, "Three For All," has some spring in its step, which helps to fire the imagination and musical muscles of all involved.
While Broadbent turns his attention to his own tunes, he doesn't turn his back on the jazz canon. His fingers probe the lower recesses of the piano as "You Don't Know What Love Is" gets underway and he makes the instrument twinkle in the aural light as reaches its final resting place. George Shearing's oft-ignored "Conception" also proves to be an inspired choice, but it's the album-opening essay on "Yesterdays" that comes off as the strongest number on the date. Broadbent shifts effortlessly from inside, down the middle soloing to quirky, outside sidebars as he demonstrates some incredible, Roger Kellaway-like independence. Smith and drummer Kendall Kay move from snazzy understatement to deep groove-making here and Kay delivers a simple, yet not-so-simple solo that creates a "hear a pin drop" moment.
So many trios operating today try to make their mark by swimming against the current or turning performances into athletic displays, but that's not the Broadbent way. These three men make the point that no-fuss music, made by exceptionally knowledgeable and skilled craftsmen, will always rise to the top.
Track Listing:
Yesterdays; You Don't Know What Love Is; Blues In 'n' Out; Wandering Road; Conception; Sing A Song Of Dameron; Three For All.
Personnel:
Alan Broadbent: piano; Putter Smith: bass; Kendall Kay: drums.
Makaya McCraven
Split Decision
By Brent-Anthony Johnson Bass Frontiers Staff Writer
Split Decision is the brilliant premier release of the globetrotting drummer/composer/bandleader, and in it you will find an agile and beautifully conversant take on the traditional piano trio that features McCraven, pianist Andrew Toombs and bassist Tim Seisser. This trio stretches time like a contortionist, but with a deep sense of musical communication that belies their considerably few years together as a band.
At several points throughout the CD, the entire band phrases fluid and twisting lines together and then punctuate the thoroughly articulated idea with a real silence that is jaw dropping to say the least! This trio plays together very well and their intuitive communal sense of groove and rhythmic flow is completely remarkable. In its way, this outing from this trio brings to mind the depth of interplay displayed by more mature trios led by Misters Camillo and Petrucciani!
Tim Seisser, in my humble opinion, is one of the finest young bassist on the Chicago music scene today. His 5-string fretted and fretless basses sound rich and full with a truly felt and hard won “tone for days” that eludes so many players. I look forward to hearing Tim on more releases in the coming future and I can strongly suggest that we “listeners to the low end”, him the kudos he deserves. He is a joy to listen to and he’s is always on it in a big way! Check him out on “Tasha’s Tune”, his cool solo (4:45-5:50) on “McGregor Bay” and on his compositional contribution to Split Decision, “Shades of Grey”. Nice work, Tim!
Split Decision is what real musicians playing solid compositions very well sounds like!
John Abercrombie Quartet
By Brent-Anthony Johnson Bass Frontiers Staff Writer
Split Decision is the brilliant premier release of the globetrotting drummer/composer/bandleader, and in it you will find an agile and beautifully conversant take on the traditional piano trio that features McCraven, pianist Andrew Toombs and bassist Tim Seisser. This trio stretches time like a contortionist, but with a deep sense of musical communication that belies their considerably few years together as a band.
At several points throughout the CD, the entire band phrases fluid and twisting lines together and then punctuate the thoroughly articulated idea with a real silence that is jaw dropping to say the least! This trio plays together very well and their intuitive communal sense of groove and rhythmic flow is completely remarkable. In its way, this outing from this trio brings to mind the depth of interplay displayed by more mature trios led by Misters Camillo and Petrucciani!
Tim Seisser, in my humble opinion, is one of the finest young bassist on the Chicago music scene today. His 5-string fretted and fretless basses sound rich and full with a truly felt and hard won “tone for days” that eludes so many players. I look forward to hearing Tim on more releases in the coming future and I can strongly suggest that we “listeners to the low end”, him the kudos he deserves. He is a joy to listen to and he’s is always on it in a big way! Check him out on “Tasha’s Tune”, his cool solo (4:45-5:50) on “McGregor Bay” and on his compositional contribution to Split Decision, “Shades of Grey”. Nice work, Tim!
Split Decision is what real musicians playing solid compositions very well sounds like!
John Abercrombie Quartet
Within A Song
By John Kelman
In the jazz world, one thing that keeps a lot of fans coming back for more with their favorite artists is the unpredictability factor. It may well be human nature to subconsciously form preconceptions, but with this music, it's usually best to avoid reductionist pigeonholing as, more often than not, it sets self-limiting expectations. Guitarist John Abercrombie has proven, in a career now well into its fifth decade, that just when it seems clear where he's heading, he veers unexpectedly elsewhere—though there always seems to be some thread of commonality running through it all. Since forming the quartet with pianist Richie Beirach that debuted on Arcade (ECM, 1978), Abercrombie's release pattern with his regular groups has, however, been largely consistent, with three recordings featuring the same lineup before moving, at least, on record, to the next. Even the quartet with violinist Mark Feldman and drummer Joey Baron that has occupied much of the guitarist's attention in the new millennium released three records with Marc Johnson before Thomas Morgan took over the bass chair to alter its complexion for Wait Till You See Her (ECM, 2009).
Despite no signs of that configuration exceeding its "best by" date, Within A Song represents a directional shift of sorts, while still possessing some of the markers that link all of Abercrombie's work together. Drummer Joey Baron is the only carryover in a quartet that, along with bassist Drew Gress—making his second appearance on ECM after his label debut (with Abercrombie) on saxophonist John Surman's Brewster's Rooser (2009)—also features saxophonist Joe Lovano, on his first session for the label since drummer Paul Motian's final trio recording with guitarist Bill Frisell, Time and Again (2007). It's an inspired choice for an album that pays tribute to some seminal music of the 1960s, even though Abercrombie is the only one who fits the bill of his brief liners, referring to ..."an old saying that goes: if you can remember the 1960s you probably weren't there." Abercrombie was there and he does remember, but if Lovano, Gress and Baron were, for the most part, pre-teens when most of the inspirations for Within A Song were first recorded, then their subsequent careers—ranging as far and wide as their leader's—have all demonstrated a near-mitochondrial appreciation and, even more importantly, understanding of that innovative period.
Abercrombie has often covered a song or two on his recordings as a leader, but he's largely focused on original material. Within A Song flips the equation, with only three original songs in a nine-song set that touches on Miles Davis, with an indigo-tinged version of "Flamenco Sketches" that's even more impressionistic than the original on the trumpeter's seminal Kind of Blue (Columbia, 1959)). Abercrombie also pays tribute to saxophonists John Coltrane, with "Wise One" (from Crescent (Impulse!, 1964), and Ornette Coleman, with the free jazz founder's "Blues Connotation," from This is Our Music (Atlantic, 1961), moving effortlessly from time and changes to greater freedom, only to find its way back, mid-song, for Lovano's ambling but effervescent solo.
Within A Song never actually reaches a boil, with the opening "Where Are You" and Abercrombie's "Easy Reader" setting a relatively gentle pace. Still, the guitarist's title track—which borrows both indirectly and, ultimately, directly from the Youmans/Rose standard "Without A Song"—does turn the heat up to a simmer, while Bill Evans' "Interplay" swings vibrantly at a medium tempo thanks to Gress and Baron, whose powerful punctuations—rarely as flat-out exuberant as some of his best work in Bill Frisell's group of the 1980s/90s, but still demonstrating the occasional slap-happy bent—are unexpected but never gratuitous.
The entire quartet's behind-the-beat approach when it comes to both groove and melody may give Within A Song its generally relaxed veneer, but beneath this largely soft surface is a freer approach that speaks to Abercrombie's explanation, in a 2004 All About Jazz interview: "I like free playing that has some relationship to a melody; very much the way Ornette Coleman used to write all those wonderful songs and then they would play without chords on a lot of them; but they still had these great melodies to draw you in and act as a reference point; I think having a reference point when you're playing this kind of music is very important."
A cursory look at the collective discography of everyone in this quartet reveals players comfortable with the tradition and in more left-of-center contexts. Given Baron's textural playing here, there are times when Within A Song actually recalls some of Lovano's wonderful On Broadway recordings with Motian and Frisell from the late 1980s/early 90s—where that group found ways to deconstruct well-heeled tunes, albeit with more overt fire, at times, contrasting a similarly impressionistic approach. But if Abercrombie is a less idiosyncratic player than Frisell, he's just as unpredictable. Time and again, on album and in performances ranging from Montreal in 2007 and Mannheim in 2009, to Ottawa in 2010, Abercrombie is both instantly recognizable and perennially fresh, never resorting to stock ideas or signature lines. If he has largely focused on string-driven chamber jazz for the better part of the last decade, with Within A Song he's delivered an unequivocal jazz recording—one founded on the groundbreaking music of the 1960s, to be sure, but, in the hands of these fine players, resonating with fresh, contemporary relevance.
Tracks:
By John Kelman
In the jazz world, one thing that keeps a lot of fans coming back for more with their favorite artists is the unpredictability factor. It may well be human nature to subconsciously form preconceptions, but with this music, it's usually best to avoid reductionist pigeonholing as, more often than not, it sets self-limiting expectations. Guitarist John Abercrombie has proven, in a career now well into its fifth decade, that just when it seems clear where he's heading, he veers unexpectedly elsewhere—though there always seems to be some thread of commonality running through it all. Since forming the quartet with pianist Richie Beirach that debuted on Arcade (ECM, 1978), Abercrombie's release pattern with his regular groups has, however, been largely consistent, with three recordings featuring the same lineup before moving, at least, on record, to the next. Even the quartet with violinist Mark Feldman and drummer Joey Baron that has occupied much of the guitarist's attention in the new millennium released three records with Marc Johnson before Thomas Morgan took over the bass chair to alter its complexion for Wait Till You See Her (ECM, 2009).
Despite no signs of that configuration exceeding its "best by" date, Within A Song represents a directional shift of sorts, while still possessing some of the markers that link all of Abercrombie's work together. Drummer Joey Baron is the only carryover in a quartet that, along with bassist Drew Gress—making his second appearance on ECM after his label debut (with Abercrombie) on saxophonist John Surman's Brewster's Rooser (2009)—also features saxophonist Joe Lovano, on his first session for the label since drummer Paul Motian's final trio recording with guitarist Bill Frisell, Time and Again (2007). It's an inspired choice for an album that pays tribute to some seminal music of the 1960s, even though Abercrombie is the only one who fits the bill of his brief liners, referring to ..."an old saying that goes: if you can remember the 1960s you probably weren't there." Abercrombie was there and he does remember, but if Lovano, Gress and Baron were, for the most part, pre-teens when most of the inspirations for Within A Song were first recorded, then their subsequent careers—ranging as far and wide as their leader's—have all demonstrated a near-mitochondrial appreciation and, even more importantly, understanding of that innovative period.
Abercrombie has often covered a song or two on his recordings as a leader, but he's largely focused on original material. Within A Song flips the equation, with only three original songs in a nine-song set that touches on Miles Davis, with an indigo-tinged version of "Flamenco Sketches" that's even more impressionistic than the original on the trumpeter's seminal Kind of Blue (Columbia, 1959)). Abercrombie also pays tribute to saxophonists John Coltrane, with "Wise One" (from Crescent (Impulse!, 1964), and Ornette Coleman, with the free jazz founder's "Blues Connotation," from This is Our Music (Atlantic, 1961), moving effortlessly from time and changes to greater freedom, only to find its way back, mid-song, for Lovano's ambling but effervescent solo.
Within A Song never actually reaches a boil, with the opening "Where Are You" and Abercrombie's "Easy Reader" setting a relatively gentle pace. Still, the guitarist's title track—which borrows both indirectly and, ultimately, directly from the Youmans/Rose standard "Without A Song"—does turn the heat up to a simmer, while Bill Evans' "Interplay" swings vibrantly at a medium tempo thanks to Gress and Baron, whose powerful punctuations—rarely as flat-out exuberant as some of his best work in Bill Frisell's group of the 1980s/90s, but still demonstrating the occasional slap-happy bent—are unexpected but never gratuitous.
The entire quartet's behind-the-beat approach when it comes to both groove and melody may give Within A Song its generally relaxed veneer, but beneath this largely soft surface is a freer approach that speaks to Abercrombie's explanation, in a 2004 All About Jazz interview: "I like free playing that has some relationship to a melody; very much the way Ornette Coleman used to write all those wonderful songs and then they would play without chords on a lot of them; but they still had these great melodies to draw you in and act as a reference point; I think having a reference point when you're playing this kind of music is very important."
A cursory look at the collective discography of everyone in this quartet reveals players comfortable with the tradition and in more left-of-center contexts. Given Baron's textural playing here, there are times when Within A Song actually recalls some of Lovano's wonderful On Broadway recordings with Motian and Frisell from the late 1980s/early 90s—where that group found ways to deconstruct well-heeled tunes, albeit with more overt fire, at times, contrasting a similarly impressionistic approach. But if Abercrombie is a less idiosyncratic player than Frisell, he's just as unpredictable. Time and again, on album and in performances ranging from Montreal in 2007 and Mannheim in 2009, to Ottawa in 2010, Abercrombie is both instantly recognizable and perennially fresh, never resorting to stock ideas or signature lines. If he has largely focused on string-driven chamber jazz for the better part of the last decade, with Within A Song he's delivered an unequivocal jazz recording—one founded on the groundbreaking music of the 1960s, to be sure, but, in the hands of these fine players, resonating with fresh, contemporary relevance.
Tracks:
Where Are You; Easy Reader; Within A Song / Without A Song; Flamenco Sketches; Nick of Time; Blues Connotation; Wise One; Interplay; Sometime Ago.
Personnel:
Personnel:
John Abercrombie: guitar; Joe Lovano: tenor saxophone; Drew Gress: double bass; Joey Baron: drums.
David Benoit
David Benoit
Standards
By Stewart Mason
Recorded in a simple trio format with bassist Brian Bromberg and drummer Gregg Bissonette, Standards is about as close as smooth jazz pianist David Benoit has come to the classic post-bop West Coast sound that's always been one of his primary inspirations. Benoit is simply not an adventurous soul as either a bandleader or a pianist, and so Standards consists mostly of familiar songs (John Lewis' "Django," Thelonious Monk's "Straight No Chaser," Bill Evans' "Waltz for Debby," Dave Brubeck's "Blue Rondo à la Turk") given safe, pretty performances that never come close to re-invention. It's simply not in Benoit's nature to take risks, but to a listener on the pianist's mellow wavelength, these performances are both technically excellent and completely heartfelt. The choice of a couple obscurities by Henry Mancini and Neal Hefti adds an idiosyncratic personal touch as well. Bold and audacious it may not be, but Standards is a low-key delight.
By Stewart Mason
Recorded in a simple trio format with bassist Brian Bromberg and drummer Gregg Bissonette, Standards is about as close as smooth jazz pianist David Benoit has come to the classic post-bop West Coast sound that's always been one of his primary inspirations. Benoit is simply not an adventurous soul as either a bandleader or a pianist, and so Standards consists mostly of familiar songs (John Lewis' "Django," Thelonious Monk's "Straight No Chaser," Bill Evans' "Waltz for Debby," Dave Brubeck's "Blue Rondo à la Turk") given safe, pretty performances that never come close to re-invention. It's simply not in Benoit's nature to take risks, but to a listener on the pianist's mellow wavelength, these performances are both technically excellent and completely heartfelt. The choice of a couple obscurities by Henry Mancini and Neal Hefti adds an idiosyncratic personal touch as well. Bold and audacious it may not be, but Standards is a low-key delight.
Helge Lien
Kattenslager
By LinnRecords
Best known for his work with the Helge Lien Trio, ‘Kattenslager' is Helge Lien's first album as a solo artist and as such, he takes full advantage of the freedom that affords him, weaving complex and subtle soundscapes throughout.
The title of Helge Lien's official debut as a solo artist is as eccentric as the music contained in it. While listening to a Danish jazz song from the 60s, Norwegian Lien misheard the lyrics as saying ‘Kattenslager'. In fact, they were referring to a ‘Plattenslager' (‘Pop Record'), but the non-existent term would prove to be perfect for the album's equally subtle, mysterious and at times, disturbing piano sounds. Fans of Lien's lyrical trio work certainly won't be disappointed. And yet this time, his performance is no longer restricted by any preconceived melodic motives. Instead, ideas flow from his fingers with complete ease and unbound by limiting concepts, resulting in a record of remarkable freedom, immediacy and unpredictability.
By LinnRecords
Best known for his work with the Helge Lien Trio, ‘Kattenslager' is Helge Lien's first album as a solo artist and as such, he takes full advantage of the freedom that affords him, weaving complex and subtle soundscapes throughout.
The title of Helge Lien's official debut as a solo artist is as eccentric as the music contained in it. While listening to a Danish jazz song from the 60s, Norwegian Lien misheard the lyrics as saying ‘Kattenslager'. In fact, they were referring to a ‘Plattenslager' (‘Pop Record'), but the non-existent term would prove to be perfect for the album's equally subtle, mysterious and at times, disturbing piano sounds. Fans of Lien's lyrical trio work certainly won't be disappointed. And yet this time, his performance is no longer restricted by any preconceived melodic motives. Instead, ideas flow from his fingers with complete ease and unbound by limiting concepts, resulting in a record of remarkable freedom, immediacy and unpredictability.
Kurt Elling
1619 Broadway: The Brill Building Project
By Bruce Lindsay
The Brill Building holds a special place in popular music history, not just because of the songs crafted within its walls, but also because of what it has come to represent. The ideal of the Brill Building is associated with songs that soundtrack the lives and loves of millions of people around the world. Singer Kurt Elling's tribute to that ideal, 1619 Broadway: The Brill Building Project, crackles with life as it connects with the emotions these songs engender.
Elling's position at the top of the male jazz singers' tree has been unassailed for over a decade, topping the DownBeat Critics' Poll for the thirteenth time in 2012, the seventh for the Readers' Poll. His richly expressive voice has much to do with this position, but it's not the whole story. Elling deserves equal praise for the originality of his interpretations and breadth of material. This album is strong on all three counts: Elling selects Songbook classics and pop favorites, throws in a few curveball interpretations and is on top form vocally, although his technical virtuosity threatens, at times, to overwhelm the lyrical message of "Come Fly With Me" and "On Broadway."
"On Broadway" opens with a short spoken word vignette where various "industry people"—played by a cast including Elling's longtime pianist Laurence Hobgood, and singer Dianne Reeves—reject the eager Elling as he attempts to persuade them of his talents. "Have you ever considered law school?" asks one. Of course, once he opens up with "They say the neon lights are bright...," their foolhardiness is exposed.
Elling adds a chunk of cynicsm to the cheeky satire of The Monkees' "Pleasant Valley Sunday" with spoken interjections of which guitarist/composer Frank Zappa would be proud: a terrific reinterpretation made even better by John McLean's crunching guitar. The reworking of "You Send Me" replaces composer Sam Cooke's soulful romance with a smooth '80s R&B vibe, the trade-off adding an air of sophistication, reducing the original's intimacy.
A delightful "Shoppin' For Clothes" features a guest appearance by famed bassist Christian McBride, but rather than his usual role—Clark Sommers does a great job in that department—he's acting. McBride assumes the role of an increasingly frustrated menswear salesman dealing with Elling's attempt to buy a sharp suit. It's a genuinely funny performance—if the bottom ever falls out of the bass playing trade, McBride's second career is assured.
Elling's finest performances are on ballads. Hobgood's arrangement of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "A House Is Not A Home" for the core quartet is exquisitely realized: cool, romantic and heartbreaking. Paul Simon's "An American Tune" gets the simplest arrangement of all, just Hobgood's spacious piano and Elling's soaring voice. It's beautiful.
Were all of these songs written in 1619 Broadway? Probably not, but it doesn't matter. They are all recognizably Brill Building songs in terms of style, subject matter and sheer quality—in terms of the ideal. Great songs are characterized by their openness to fresh interpretations and, on 1619 Broadway, Elling gives them some of the freshest interpretations around.
Track Listing:
By Bruce Lindsay
The Brill Building holds a special place in popular music history, not just because of the songs crafted within its walls, but also because of what it has come to represent. The ideal of the Brill Building is associated with songs that soundtrack the lives and loves of millions of people around the world. Singer Kurt Elling's tribute to that ideal, 1619 Broadway: The Brill Building Project, crackles with life as it connects with the emotions these songs engender.
Elling's position at the top of the male jazz singers' tree has been unassailed for over a decade, topping the DownBeat Critics' Poll for the thirteenth time in 2012, the seventh for the Readers' Poll. His richly expressive voice has much to do with this position, but it's not the whole story. Elling deserves equal praise for the originality of his interpretations and breadth of material. This album is strong on all three counts: Elling selects Songbook classics and pop favorites, throws in a few curveball interpretations and is on top form vocally, although his technical virtuosity threatens, at times, to overwhelm the lyrical message of "Come Fly With Me" and "On Broadway."
"On Broadway" opens with a short spoken word vignette where various "industry people"—played by a cast including Elling's longtime pianist Laurence Hobgood, and singer Dianne Reeves—reject the eager Elling as he attempts to persuade them of his talents. "Have you ever considered law school?" asks one. Of course, once he opens up with "They say the neon lights are bright...," their foolhardiness is exposed.
Elling adds a chunk of cynicsm to the cheeky satire of The Monkees' "Pleasant Valley Sunday" with spoken interjections of which guitarist/composer Frank Zappa would be proud: a terrific reinterpretation made even better by John McLean's crunching guitar. The reworking of "You Send Me" replaces composer Sam Cooke's soulful romance with a smooth '80s R&B vibe, the trade-off adding an air of sophistication, reducing the original's intimacy.
A delightful "Shoppin' For Clothes" features a guest appearance by famed bassist Christian McBride, but rather than his usual role—Clark Sommers does a great job in that department—he's acting. McBride assumes the role of an increasingly frustrated menswear salesman dealing with Elling's attempt to buy a sharp suit. It's a genuinely funny performance—if the bottom ever falls out of the bass playing trade, McBride's second career is assured.
Elling's finest performances are on ballads. Hobgood's arrangement of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "A House Is Not A Home" for the core quartet is exquisitely realized: cool, romantic and heartbreaking. Paul Simon's "An American Tune" gets the simplest arrangement of all, just Hobgood's spacious piano and Elling's soaring voice. It's beautiful.
Were all of these songs written in 1619 Broadway? Probably not, but it doesn't matter. They are all recognizably Brill Building songs in terms of style, subject matter and sheer quality—in terms of the ideal. Great songs are characterized by their openness to fresh interpretations and, on 1619 Broadway, Elling gives them some of the freshest interpretations around.
Track Listing:
On Broadway; Come Fly With Me; You Send Me; I Only Have Eyes For You; I'm Satisfied; A House Is Not A Home; Shoppin' For Clothes; So Far Away; Pleasant Valley Sunday; American Tune; Tutti For Cootie.
Personnel:
Personnel:
Kurt Elling: vocals; John McLean: guitar; Laurence Hobgood: piano, voice (1, 9); Clark Sommers: bass; Kendrick Scott: drums, congas; Christian McBride: voice (7); Joel Frahm: tenor saxophone (4, 7); Ernie Watts: tenor saxophone (5, 8); Tom Luer: alto saxophone (11), tenor saxophone (2, 4, 11); Kye Palmer: trumpet (11), flugelhorn (2, 4, 11); Luiza Elling: voice (9); Sara Collins: voice (1); Eric Denniston: voice (1); Jennifer Elling: voice (1); Jeff Greenberg: voice (1); Nic Harcourt: voice (1); Chris Hinderaker: voice (1); Vanessa parr: voice (1); Michael Podell: voice (1); Dianne Reeves: voice (1); Jonathan Stuart: voice (1); Daye L Turner: voice (1); Mary Vinci: voice (1); Michael Zettier: voice (1); Dominic Zingone: voice (1); Fred Zollo: voice (1).
