Customer Reviews

One More the Summary: Music of Thad Jones 2

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[Note: This recording isn't due to come out until sometime in February 2007, so be careful about ordering from non-Amazon sellers.]

This tribute to Thad Jones' music is not only equal to Volume One ("One More") but eclipses it, proving a worthy candidate for jazz album of the year 2007. I can remember when jazz followers marveled at the patience of Jones playing second trumpet night after night in the Count Basie Band, forfeiting most of the limited solo space to Joe Newman. It's ironic that this magnificent musician no doubt was the last to know his own musical worth.

The scaled-down arrangements by Michael Patterson capture the big band concepts and textures of the Jones originals, with superlative support from the tight and balanced ensembles and the empathetic tandem of bassist Richard Davis and percussionist Kenny Washington, who knows when to go to the backbeats and when to back down, lest the groove upstage the composer's compelling musical narratives.

The solos may surprise listeners who assume that the venerability of the musicians (and the scarcity of recent recorded work by them) attests to a decline in instrumental prowess. Most notable is an unlikely tetralogy of "tough" tenors. Eddie Daniels surprises, a virtuoso player who's not simply a clarinetist who "doubles on tenor"; he even goes head-to-head with Benny Golson and Frank Wess on several exchanges and follows Jimmy Owens' great turn on "Rejoice" with his own killer solo. Golson sounds stronger to me than on a Jazz Messengers reunion date made eight years ago, and the redoubtable Wess remains in championship form on both tenor and flute.

Fortunately, none of the three has to trade choruses with James Moody, whose solo on "Birdsong" amounts to an extended harmonic clinic, arguably the highlight among many standout solos. The final two tracks--Jones' classic "Three in One" and "The Summary"--bring this generous session to an immensely satisfying close. The latter tune, a meditative, poignant duet taken by Moody and brother Hank Jones, is a movement from Suite for Pops--a fitting reminder that a session such as this is less about closure than keeping the tradition alive.

This, the second installment of the Thad tribute, is far superior to the first for one simple reason: the choice of Kenny Washington in the drum chair instead of Mickey Roker. Don't get me wrong, Roker is a great talent and a mainstay, but the session on Vol. 1 just wasn't his day: he rushed almost every tempo noticeably, and didn't listen to the rest of the rhythm section. I'm surprised they released a couple of the tunes because Roker is noticeably out of synch with the bass player on a number of sections. Also, if he had a chart, it sounds like he just dismissed it because he missed many of the "kicks" that make the arrangements so special and make the ensemble gel. Not so with Kenny Washington-- he is on top of his game as usual and he is the engine that drives this session, stitching things together as a great drummer does. Everyone puts in a fine performance-- it sounds like this was recorded as an ensemble with isolation so everyone is playing together (if that was the case on Vol. 1, Mr. Roker totally missed the idea of "together" and did a great disservice to the other fine musicians on Vol. 1 by pushing all the tempos). In contrast, Washington is "in the pocket" and the performances as a whole are fantastic. The superb Eddie Daniels, Frank Wess and Benny Golson all embelish this ensemble with their unique magic and John Mosca does a great job subbing for Bob Brookmeyer, who had the flu and had to miss the second date. The writing and arrangements are superb, and this disc has been a treat to listen to since I received it a few days ago. Ensemble playing and solos at their finest by the "cream of the crop". Go get this one.