John Alvey: Loft Glow

  Drummer John Alvey grew up with a musical father, pianist Michael Alvey, who encouraged his son in many ways, including finding him a first-rate drum teacher and exposing him to a lot of recorded jazz. Eventually, father and son played together for seven years in a trio that had a steady gig in his home town of Nashville. Loft Glow, John Alvey’s first album as a leader, has been a long time coming. He’s performed with jazz players like Brian Lynch, Greg Tardy, and Joel Frahm, whose warm tenor sax is a welcome presence here. Alvey’s key influence, perhaps surprisingly for a drummer, is saxophonist and composer Benny Golson, who turned 95 this past January. The well-known and much loved Moanin’ album by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers was, he says, his first exposure to hard bop, and he couldn’t stop listening to it. Loft Glow is a winning effort, with music that swings from start to finish. Alvey, working closely with trombonist Roland Barber, selected a good batch of tunes, including his own Azure, which leads off the set in high style. The band, with Alvey and Barber joined by alto saxophonist Jovan Quallo, tenorman Joel Frahm, the dynamic Matt Endahl on piano, and bassist Jacob Jezioro is impressive from the start. They maintain their appealing sound throughout the varied program, which makes listening to the entire album at once a genuine pleasure. In addition to Alvey’s lead-off track, there are two other pieces by band members. Trombonist Barber contributes the gentle Winslow Nocturne, while Quallo offers his quietly grooving June 23. John Stubblefield’s Baby Man, a favorite of Mary Lou Williams, is performed with an appropriately bluesy and down-home feel, courtesy of Endahl’s deft pianism and Alvey’s relaxed beat. Barber’s old-fashioned trombone solo is a nice touch. Of course, the set includes a piece by Golson. From his many compositions, Alvey chose Terminal 1, the title track of a 2004 CD for Concord. It’s a lovely tune, imbued with Golson’s trademark lyricism, and a rollicking Frahm makes the most of it. Alvey gets a chance to shine as well, with a tasty drum solo that moves the music right along. The set ends with a soulful canter through Ron Carter’s Blues For D.P., which first appeared on Parfait (Milestone) in 1980. Loft Glow is an excellent debut release, well worth checking out.

Jazz Music City; Roland Barber (tbn) Jovan Quallo (as on 2,3,5,6) Joel Frahm (ts on 1,2,4-6) Matt Endahl (p) Jacob Jezioro (b) John Alvey (d); Nashville, TN, August 15, 2022 (2,3,5) or July 14, 2023 (1,4,6); 1.Azure/ 2.Winslow Nocturne/ 3.Baby Man/ 4.Terminal 1/ 5.June 23/ 6.Blues for D.P.; 45:49. johnalveymusic.com