Jim Witzel Quartet: Breaking Through Gently

  It doesn’t take very long to discern the compatibility and unified purpose of a group like the Jim Witzel Quartet. Except for a rather drab guitar-piano duet version of Paul Simon’s Old Friends, from Simon & Garfunkel’s Bookends (1968), the program on Breaking Through Gently is comprised of original compositions by guitarist Witzel and pianist Phil Aaron. On bass is Dan Feiszli, who also recorded and mixed the CD. The drummer is accomplished Bay Area stalwart Jason Lewis. Witzel has recorded infrequently since his debut on record with saxophonist Dave LeFebvre back in 1981. He’s been woodshedding and gigging with pianist Aaron since sometime in the Nineties while Aaron was in the Los Angeles area. Breaking Through Gently is the first documentation of their collaboration. Witzel’s clear tone and flowing solos mesh very nicely with Aaron’s sparkling solos and tasty comping. Feiszli and Lewis make a fine team, swinging hard from start to finish. The whole ethos of the music’s feeling can be summed by one of Aaron’s titles, Hello My Friend. Witzel and Aaron sound genuinely happy to be playing together, and that feeling comes through loud and clear. Recommended. 

Joplin Sweeney J&S 203; Jim Witzel (g) Phil Aaron (p) Dan Feiszli (b) Jason Lewis (d); Berkeley, CA, July 26-27, 2023; My Compass/ Firefly Waltz/ The Celebration/ Abjohn/ Hello My Friend/ The Little Dragon/ Old Friends/ Breaking Through Gently; 45:02. www.jimwitzelmusic.com

Wes Montgomery & the Wynton Kelly Trio: Maximum Swing: The Unissued Half Note Recordings

  Guitarist Wes Montgomery and pianist Wynton Kelly first recorded together in late 1961 on Bags Meets Wes!, a Montgomery/ Milt Jackson project for Riverside Records. Clearly, they really got along on a musical level, getting together again for Wes’ Full House in 1962 for Riverside, and for the classic Smokin’ At The Half Note, recorded for Verve at various times during 1965. Now, with the release of Maximum Swing: The Unissued Half Note Recordings, we have another two hours of the Wes Montgomery & the Wynton Kelly Trio to enjoy, all from 1965. The music will be available on limited edition vinyl for Record Store Day and on CD in early December. All of disc one and the first three tracks on disc two of the CD version were originally broadcast on Alan Grant’s WABC Portraits in Jazz radio show. The final five tracks were sourced from the private collection of Yoshio Tokui of the wesFANclub in Japan. Many of the airchecks appeared on bootlegs, in poor sound, but the fan club tapes are previously unissued in any format. The quarter-hour segments of the radio broadcasts featured two or three tunes. On the Tokui recordings, made without the self-editing necessary for the radio show, Wes and company got to really stretch out, extending their performances to lengths unheard in most other settings. Sound quality on the broadcasts is quite good, which took some tinkering by restoration engineer Matthew Lutthans. The poorly recorded Tokui segment is another matter, and Lutthans describes the process of making this section listenable. As rough as it still is after digital manipulation, you get used to the sound after a few minutes. The band’s fantastic 10-minute version of Cherokee, taken at the song’s typical frantic pace, offers a genuine look at Montgomery and company on stage with no considerations beyond hard blowing. Kelly gets to play more on these tracks, too, another bonus. Montgomery is in great form throughout both discs, with several outstanding performances that listeners will return to again and again, including a stunning solo on the November 12 version of Four On Six and more jaw-dropping soloing on The Song is You, which also features some spirited exchanges by Montgomery and Kelly with drummer Jimmy Cobb. The 52-page booklet includes Bill Milkowski’s informative liner notes, Lutthans’ discussion of mastering the album, and a note by Yoshio Tokui on the origin of the tapes. There are also previously unseen photographs by Raymond Ross, remembrances by Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter (who subbed for the incredibly busy Paul Chambers on the November 5 performance), and appreciations by Bill Frisell, Mike Stern, and Marcus Miller. Miller is Wynton Kelly’s cousin and he’s got some good stories to tell. Alan Grant signed off his broadcasts by saying “Stay beautiful” and that’s easy to do when savoring the sounds of Wes Montgomery and the Wynton Kelly trio. Highest recommendation! 

Resonance HCD-2067 (also on vinyl): Wes Montgomery (g) Wynton Kelly (p) Paul Chambers$, Ron Carter*, Larry Ridley#, or Herman Wright% (b) Jimmy Cobb (d); NYC, dates as noted; Disc 1 (50:10): September 24, 1965: Laura/ Cariba/ Blues; November 5, 1965*: Impressions/ Mi Cosa/ No Blues; November 12, 1965#: Birks’ Works/ Four on Six/ The Theme. Disc 2 (74:18): November 19, 1965%: All the Things You Are/ I Remember You/ No Blues; late November, 1965#: Cherokee/ The Song is You/ Four on Six/ Star Eyes/ Oh, You Crazy Moon. www.resonancerecords.org

George Freeman: The Good Life

  Guitarist George Freeman, of the eminent Freeman clan of Chicago, made his debut on record with Joe Morris and his Orchestra in 1947 when he was just 20 years old and one of the earliest electric guitarists in jazz. Starting in his teens, he’s performed with a long list of prominent musicians including Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Groove Holmes, Gene Ammons, Jimmy McGriff, Johnny Griffin, Red Holloway, brothers Bruz and Von Freeman, and nephew Chico Freeman. He’s also recorded frequently as a leader, and his latest opus, The Good Life, find him in stellar company with two separate trios. Whatever he may have lost in dexterity, and it doesn’t sound like he’s lost much, he more than makes up for it with deep feeling and well-chosen and imaginative phrasing. First up is an organ ensemble, with Joey DeFrancesco at the keyboard and Lewis Nash on drums. It’s the instrumental setting in which Freeman feels most comfortable, and the enveloping soulfulness of organ-oriented jazz is apparent from the first downbeat of If I Had You. This extended version of a song that dates from the late Twenties draws the listener right into the trio’s sound. DeFrancesco, in one of his final recordings, establishes a calm and easy-going mood for this lengthy excursion. Nash’s ever-tasty and swinging drumming is a plus on any session. He takes a beguiling solo that sounds like he’s dancing on the drums, and he and Freeman trade some licks along the way. I’m not sure that opening a CD with a track that runs just over eleven minutes is the best sequencing idea, but it works here just fine. The organ unit plays two more songs, both composed by Freeman. The guitarist was excited about playing with Joey DeFrancesco, and Mr. D was written in his honor. It’s a bright, finger-snapping groove, and they make the most of it. Then there’s the smoking Up and Down, an utter romp that features bold drumming from Nash, a intensely hard-driving solo by DeFrancesco, and best of all, a definitive George Freeman solo, touching on the blues and bebop, and full of quotes and surprising twists and turns. As Michael Cuscuna writes in his highly appreciative liner notes, this is one of “the ‘outside’ solos that have prompted people since 1945 to ask, Who is this guy?” The other session is another trio, this one with the superb bassist Christian McBride and the widely accomplished drummer Carl Allen. McBride is characteristically rock-solid and exceptionally supportive, contributing succinct solos along the way. A basic blues original by Freeman, Lowe Groovin’, kicks things off as they get down and dirty with a piece that sounds like it would perfect in a smoky club late at night. Another Freeman tune, 1,2,3,4, swings hard with guitar and bass having a spirited conversation amid appropriate commentary from the drums. Sister Tankersley, the last of Freeman’s originals, might just have you out of your seat and slow-dancing to the snaky groove. The finale is an utterly gorgeous version of Sacha Distel’s The Good Life, first heard in 1962, and recorded hundreds of times over the years. It starts out as a slow stroll through the melody, picks up some momentum in the middle section, and calms down again for the last minute in a beautifully arranged ending. It’s the fitting conclusion for this highly enjoyable release. Happily recommended. 

HighNote HCD 7352; George Freeman (g) with Joey DeFrancesco (org) Lewis Nash (d); Chicago, IL, June 23, 2022; If I Had You/ Mr. D./ Up and Down; with Christian McBride (b) Carl Allen (d); Chicago, IL, May 7. 2022; Lowe Groovin’/ 1,2,3,4/ Sister Tankersley/ The Good Life; 50:57. www.jazzdepot.com

Bobby Broom: Keyed Up

  Guitarist Bobby Broom played with Sonny Rollins from 1981-1986 and again from 2006-2009. On record, he’s appeared with organist Charlie Earland, saxophonists David Murray and Eric Alexander, and New Orleans star Dr. John. Broom has also found the time to lead his own groups, mostly in a trio format. Since his 2001 session on Premonition Records, his bandmates have been Dennis Carroll on bass and Kobie Watkins on drums. For his latest project, Keyed Up, Justin Dillard joins the group on piano and organ, fitting in well and thickening the group sound. Broom’s pungent tone and quickly flowing single note runs full of surprising twists and turns are always a delight. For this date, he’s picked some fine material to showcase, with all but one of the tunes written by pianists. In his liner notes, Broom wrotes that the “occurrence of high-caliber pianists who saw something in my playing that caused them to want to support and collaborate with me is a recurring theme in my musical life.” He discusses the role of James Williams, who composed the relaxing ballad Soulful Bill. He was a mentor to Broom, and the reason he got an opportunity to perform with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in 1980. Curiously, though, aside from this mention in the liner notes, there are no composer credits on the package. Bud Powell’s Hallucinations (a/k/a Budo) leads things off with a potent dose of hard-driving swing. That’s just one of the high points of the set. Another is Horace Silver’s Quicksilver, with a pair of exuberant guitar solos sandwiched around a chorus from Dillard’s piano. One of everybody’s favorite tunes is Erroll Garner’s Misty, with nearly one thousand renditions listed in the online Jazz Discography. Keeping their emphasis on the attractive melody, Broom and crew take it nice and slow. The guitarist solos first before turning the spotlight over to Dillard on piano. Broom then plays a second, more exploratory solo to take the song out. A romp through Herbie Hancock’s Driftin’ has Dillard moving over to organ, with a sound closer to a Rhodes electric piano than a Hammond B-3. It’s great to hear the quartet get into a bluesy groove for Scoochie, a Booker Ervin composition, and the only song here not written by a pianist. McCoy Tyner’s Blues on the Corner, frequently revived since it first appeared on The Real McCoy (Blue Note, 1967), is heard in two takes. The second take finds the band digging into the groove with more authority and grit than on the first go-round, with Carroll and Watkins making the most of their solo spots both times around. Keyed Up is a real pleasure from start to finish. 

Steele Records SR 002/CSM 0119; Bobby Broom (g) Justin Dillard (p, Hammond SKX org) Dennis Carroll (b) Kobie Watkins (d); August 31-September 3, 2021; Hallucinations (a/k/a Budo)/ Second Thoughts/ Humpty Dumpty/ Soulful Bill/ Quicksilver/ Misty/ Driftin’/ Blues on the Corner (take 2)/ Scoochie/ Blues on the Corner (take 1); 57:05. www.bobbybroom.com

George Cotsirilos Quartet: Refuge

  In September 2021, during a time of pandemic and isolation, the George Cotsirilos Quartet turns to music as a Refuge. This is guitarist Cotsirilos’ second album with bandmates Keith Saunders on piano, Robb Fisher on bass, and Ron Marabuto on drums. Knowing their styles, he writes that these new compositions were “conceived with this quartet in mind ...” Before this band came together, Cotsirilos helmed a trio with Fisher and Marabuto that recorded three CDs for OA2, which amounts to plenty of playing time together. The musician’s familiarity with one another results in a congenial vibe that make this latest effort a thorough pleasure all the way through. Drummer Rob Marabuto brings his finely honed sense of swing and carefully calibrated dynamics to the proceedings. Veteran bassist Fisher, who had an extended stay in Cal Tjader’s band from 1976 until Tjader’s death in 1982, is a solid player with great time and a big round sound. His solo on a gentle ballad called The Three Doves is a beautifully relaxed interlude leading into Saunders’ piano solo. The pianist, who has recorded with drummer Dick Berk’s Jazz Adoption Agency and the NY Hardbop Quintet, has an emphatic touch and a soulful feeling in his solos. Cotsirilos generally eschews flash in favor of crisp lines and lovely melodies. He gets an attractively clean and unadorned sound on his hollow-body guitar. Highlights include the cheerfully upbeat opener, Devolution, Aftermath with a driving beat that clearly inspires Saunders on his opening solo, the angular melody and unsettling rhythms of A Faint Light, and the freewheeling set closer, Let’s Make a Break For It, with solo statements by all. Refuge is a winner, and warmly recommended. 

OA2 22201; George Cotsirilos (g) Keith Saunders (p) Robb Fisher (d) Ron Marabuto (d); Berkeley, CA, September 27-28, 2021; Devolution/ Refuge/ Planet Roxoid/ Igualmente/ The Three Doves/ Slacker/ Aftermath/ A Faint Light/ Smoke Signal/ Let’s Make a Break For It; 57:07. www.originarts.com