Dennis Lichtman: Just Cross The River

I’m not certain that you need someone who grew up in Queens, New York, to appreciate Just Cross The River, a new project by clarinetist Dennis Lichtman, but it sure helps. It takes a Queens resident to chuckle knowingly at song titles like Road Street Court Place Avenue Drive or 23rd Between 23rd and 23rd, two tributes to the borough’s genuinely odd street naming system. Any jazz fan who’s been paying attention knows that Louis Armstrong lived in Queens, but so did a number of other early jazz stars. The handsome package includes plenty of photos and memorabilia plus liner notes by Armstrong specialist Ricky Riccardi to look at while you’re enjoying the sounds of the sextet and their guests. The ensemble performs a nicely balanced program of the clarinetist’s perfectly idiomatic originals alongside five of what Armstrong would call “good old good ones.” The sound of the band, which Lichtman has dubbed the Queensboro Six, harks back to the classic jazz period, but with an attractive liveliness that keeps them from coming off as a mere nostalgia act. Trumpeter Gordon Au played with Lichtman in the Grand Street Stompers and Mona’s Hot Four, which also included trombonist J. Walter Hawkes, which helps to explain the easy-going rapport of the front line. Pianist Dalton Ridenhour has an old-fashioned approach to the keyboard, anchoring the rhythm section with the capable Nathan Peck on bass and the extremely adaptable Rob Garcia on drums. Mazz Swift adds some lovely violin stylings to a few tracks. She also sings Armstrong’s Someday You’ll Be Sorry. Guitarist and vocalist Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton sings and plays on the justifiably obscure chestnut Just Cross the River From Queens and returns to sing the finale, the oft-played Cake Walking Babies From Home, composed by Clarence Williams, Henry Troy and Chris Smith. Williams also had a hand in Squeeze Me, co-written with the great Fats Waller, another one-time Queens resident. Terry Wilson, making her recording debut, sings that one for us here, along with Waller’s immortal Blue Turning Grey Over You, with lyrics by frequent collaborator Andy Razaf. And Nick Russo, also a member of Mona’s Hot Four, adds some rhythm guitar to a couple of tracks. I have to say that I’m not that impressed with the vocalists, but the overall level of the musicianship is high and the sextet’s evident feeling for early jazz makes this CD quite enjoyable.
Triple Treble TTM-CD-007; Gordon Au (tp) J. Walter Hawkes (tbn) Dennis Lichtman (cl) Dalton Ridenhour (p) Nathan Peck (b) Rob Garcia (d) Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton (g on 8; vcl on 8,14) Mazz Swift (vln on 3-5; vcl on 5) Terry Wilson (vcl on 9,11) Nick Russo (g on 10,12); Brooklyn, NY, no dates specified; 1.7 Express/ 2.For Bix/ 3.Midnight at the Piers/ 4.Road Street Court Place Avenue Drive/ 5.Someday You’ll Be Sorry/ 6.Waltz for Camila/ 7. L.I.C. Strut/ 8. Just Cross the River From Queens/ 9.Blue Turning Grey Over You/ 10.23rd Between 23rd and 23rd/ 11.Squeeze Me/ 12.The Power of Not Then/ 13. I’d Remember Having Met You/ 14.Cake Walking Babies From Home; 53:45. www.dennislichtman.com