See the Light

 

There was a long time in the recorded history of Black American Music, especially Improvised Music, that records labels big and small put together recording sessions that combined leaders of various ensembles in their own "Super Session."  Norman Granz did it in the 1950s with his "Jazz  at The Philharmonic" series, Milestone/Prestige producer Orrin Keepnews did something similar in the 1970s and 80s with Sonny Rollins, McCoy Tyner, Bobby Hutcherson. and others. Wayne Shorter's Quartet, founded in 2000, is, perhaps, the most successful of the "leaders-full" group – pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Pattitucci, and drummer Brian Blade are all established artists who joined the late Mr. Shorter to create a two decades of explorations and sonic adventures.

Photo: Erika Kapin

The members of Lux Quartet have a similar lineage to Mr. Shorter's group. Pianist Myra Melford seemingly exploded onto the "jazz scene" out of Chicago to New York City in the early1990s with her HatArt trio recordings and has gone to lead or co-lead numerous ensembles. Drummer Allison Miller has been leading ensembles since the early 2000s, creating music that blends story and song, rhythm  and freedom; she also is a highly sought-after side person.  Saxophonist Dayna Stephens has also been in the spotlight since the mid-2000s creating albums and groups that celebrate tradition as well push at the borders of said tradition.  Bassist Scott Colley has a list of credits ranging from recordings and live gigs with guitarist Jim Hall, saxophonist Donny McCaslin, pianist Andrew Hill, vibraphonist Gary Burton, and so many others to eight albums as a leader. Put these four musicians together and the sky's the limit!

"Tomorrowland" (ENJA/Yellowbird) is the Lux Quartet's debut album. Ms. Melford and Ms. Miller, the co-leaders of the band, contribute three compositions apiece to the program with Mr. Stephens and Mr. Colley adding one of their own.  All that aside, when you put on the album, this is most assuredly a group effort.  The opening track, Ms. Melford's "Intricate Drift", comes in on a martial beat and a slinky melody line. First thing one hears is bassist Colley's counterpoint to that melody.  The alto sax solo skitters atop the now-dancing rhythm section. Ms. Melford's piano solo builds off the delightful alto spot, introducing a touch of Monk and a lot of angular melody lines and chords.  Ms. Miller's "Congratulations and Condolences" opens like a mid-1960s John Coltrane piece with the soprano sax melody bouncing off the high-powered rhythm section.  The energy jumps up considerably for the sax solo.  Ms. Melford follows with her knuckle-buster solo like a whirling dervish in the midst of a sand storm.

Image: Michael Jackson

The following track, "Deeply Us" (also a Miller composition), is a beautiful ballad on which Mr. Colley's bowed bass and the truly emotional piano solo stand out. Mr. Stephen's tenor does not really enter until half-way through but his melodic journey is gentle and heartfelt. Nothing is rushed or truncated, all the elements in their places. 

Listeners who remember the great San Francisco Bay-area drummer Eddie Marshall (1938-2011, pictured left) who played with the fusion quartet The Fourth Way as well as vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson (among many others) will enjoy Ms. Miller's "Speak Eddie".  Starting out as a fast "bop" tune, the quartet immediately drops into a march beat to state the theme. Ms. Melford charges ahead into her solo firing up the rhythm section to alternate tempos, her dancing two-fisted attack raising the bar. What follows is a bass and sax conversation (sans piano and drums) with the musicians teasing, cajoling, and, all of a sudden, Ms. Miller takes Colley's place dueling with Stephens before the drummer takes over for a short, fiery, solo before everybody returns for a quick statement of the theme. 

The album closes with the title track, the bassist's contribution, and it too is a powerful ballad. After a two-minute solo piano introduction, the bassist shows his masterful melodic side which leads to the tenor taking the lead over the swirling cymbals and piano-bass conversation. The most impressionistic piece on the program, the second half of the performance rises and falls on the bowed bass, skittering cymbals, and the saxophone's gentle pleading, perhaps praying. The intensity ramps up until the inevitable fall back down to silence. 

The more I listen to "Tomorrowland", the more I hear a group effort. It's understandable for some to concentrate on the four excellent musicians in the Lux Quartet. One really has to listen as we were the fifth member of the group sitting alongside the rhythm section. Judging by the videos online (see one below), the band is excellent in person. Jump in – tomorrow is sounding quite good!

For more information, go to https://myramelford.com/projects/project/display/id/29/Lux-Quartet. To hear more and to purchase the album, go to https://lux-quartet.bandcamp.com/album/tomorrowland. 

Watch the band play "Intricate Drift":

O yes, one more review and a quick one: 

Guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel really came into his own as a bandleader, composer, and guitarist in the late 1990s when he organized The Next Step Band, a quartet featuring Mark Turner (tenor saxophone), Ben Street (bass), and Jeff Ballard (drums). Sometimes, pianists Brad Mehldau or Scott Kinsey joined the core quartet.  Rosenwinkel signed with Verve Records in 2000, producing a trio of albums over the next three years featuring these musicians. "The Enemies of Energy" was issued first – the album had been recorded in 1996 and, upon its release, received great critical acclaim in the United States and around the world.  "Live at Smalls 1996" (Heartcore Records) shows the group at its best, navigating through six tunes, five of which exceed nine minutes, with an infectious energy that begs one to play the album loud...and often. It's a treat for the listener to get lost in the improvisations –– Turner and the leader are particularly impressive all the way through. Under headphones, one can hear the subtlety that Ballard and Street bring to the music, not just holding the pieces together but really pushing the front line.  

Listen below to "Use of Light" to hear a group that listens, responds, and is involved in telling its story!

For more information, go to https://heartcore-records.com/blogs/news/kurt-rosenwinkel-the-next-step-band-live-at-smalls-1996.  To hear more and purchase the album, go to  https://kurtrosenwinkel.bandcamp.com/album/the-next-step-band-live-at-smalls-1996.

Give a listen:

Giant Step Arts Presents Music With Its Roots in the Past & Its Eyes On the Future

 

TARBABY, the collective featuring Orrin Evans (piano, voice), Eric Revis (bass), and Nasheet Waits (drums), first started gigging together in the late 1990s but did not release its first album until 2009.  Over the course of five albums, they have railed in their own subtle and not-so-subtle ways against the racism and violence that continues to plague the United States. Their albums have usually featured guests such as Oliver Lake or JD Allen (saxophone), Nicholas Payton, Ambrose Akinmusire or Josh Lawrence (trumpet). The Trio may remind some of Jason Moran's Bandwagon (Mr. Waits is a member of that group as well) but the two groups each have their own personality and direction.

"YOU THINK THIS AMERICA" is TARBABY's sixth album

and first for Jimmy Katz's Giant Step Arts.  It's also the band's first live album and first true trio album (no guests). Of the 10 songs that compose the 54-minute program, three are originals (two from Mr. Evans and one from Mr. Revis) – the rest range from two pieces by Ornette Coleman, one each from Andrew Hill, David Murray, and Sunny Murray (no relation) plus the blues standard "Nobody Knows You When You Are Down and Out" (Jimmy Cox) and the 1970s soul classic "Betcha By Golly Wow" (Linda Creed and Thom Bell, sung by The Stylistics).  The album opens with Mr. Coleman's "Dee Dee" (from the 1965 Blue Note album "At The Golden Circle, Vol. I"). It's so fascinating to hear how the music has elements of blues and reggae. The sound of the cymbals jump out of the speakers while Mr. Revis's muscular bass lines are also so melodic.

Listen below to David Murray's "Mirror of Youth". Listen how Revis and Waits set the rhythm for Evans to then come state the theme. It's a gentle piece that illustrates how melodic the pianist and how his solo logically flows out of the melody. Nothing is rushed or overheated, certainly well-played.

The inclusion of "Betcha By Golly Wow" is a bow towards the great Thom Bell and the "Sound of Philadephia".  The trio plays it straight out of love and respect.  No solos, just a gentle melody that brings back so many memories.  "Nobody Knows You..." also gets a respectful presentation but it's the blues after all so there's a touch of light humor, good bit of swing, delightful brushes work, and a dancing bass solo.  

The album closes with Sunny Murray's "Tree Tops" (from the drummer's 2016 quintet album "Aigu-Grave").  TARBABY's version is half the 9+ minute version of the original yet it definitely takes its cue from the "free swing" of Mr Murray's take.  Bassist Revis is the catalyst here and his active phrases at first build of the melody (stated by the piano) and then joins with the skittering brushwork in pushing Evans to move kin and out of the melody during his solo.

"You Think This America" may be to some a confrontational title (as is the name of the trio) – perhaps it is. People have certain preconceptions and expect that creators of all stripes stay within a certain zone. TARBABY ignores all that and makes music that means something to them as people, as Black Americans, as musicians in the 21st Century. Orrin Evans, Eric Revis, and Nasheet Waits ask nothing more than to listen with open ears and an open mind. Believe me, it's worth the time and investment.

For more information, go to https://orrinevansmusic.com/portfolio/tarbaby/.  To hear more and purchase the album, go to https://tarbaby2024.bandcamp.com/album/you-think-this-america. 

Here's the Trio on "Mirror of Youth":

Nasheet Waits (drums and compositions) is in the midst of a very busy career. He leads his own groups, is tri-leader of TARBABY (see above), and has toured and recorded with more artists than fits this page, most notably Jason Moran's Bandwagon, Ron Carter, Andrew Hill, trumpeter Avishai Cohen, the late Geri Allen, pianists Fred Hersch and John Escreet.  The son of Frederick Douglas "Freddie" Waits, he was mentored by Max Roach, studied with Michael Carvin, and, as a young man, toured in Mr. Roach's M'BOOM and with saxophonist Antonio Hart's groups.  He's only released three albums over his career (now in its fourth decade), the first, "Equality" (on Fresh Sound New Talent), in 2008, the second, "Between Nothingness and Eternity" (on the French Laborie Jazz label) in 2016, and now in 2024 "New York Love Letter (Bitter Sweet)" for Giant Step Arts). 

Waits organized an excellent Quartet for this gig, recorded live in 2021 and '22 in New York's Seneca Village section of Central Park.  Mark Turner (tenor saxophone), Steve Nelson (vibraphone), and Rashaan Carter (bass) join the drummer for this six song program that featured two songs composed by the leader, two by John Coltrane, and one each by Andrew Hill and Jason Moran. The proceedings open with Moran's bouncy and mischievous  "Snake Stance"; everybody states the theme then Turner leaps out in front powered by the thundering rhythm section and Nelson's angular vibes work. There are numerous times throughout the performance that the music and rhythms reminds this listener of the sound of Eric Dolphy's classic Blue Note 1964 Lp "Out to Lunch" – that album featured the rhythm section of Bobby Hutcherson (vibes), Richard Davis (bass), and Tony Williams (drums). Listen below to Mr. Hill's "Snake Hip Waltz" next to the Dolphy album and see if you don't agree.

The two Waits' originals include the lovely, ultra-slow, "Moon Child" and the high energy "The Hard Way AW". The former places Nelson's vibes over the gentle brushes work and resonant bass notes. Nobody is in a hurry so the song unfolds like a flower in the early morning sun. Turner's tenor enters about 2/3rds of the way through with a more energetic but also handsome solo.   The latter track, on the other hand, bursts out of the gates at a breakneck pace, Turner spinning out the melody and then roaring off atop the frenetic drums and throbbing then walking bass lines.  At nearly 12 minutes, it's the longest track on the album so one hears a number of dynamic changes. Nelson's rippling vibes solo– sans accompaniment – is a treat. The band gets seriously raucous as Turner and Waits converse with each other; then, the drummer plays a delightful solo, full of rhythmic twists and turns. The music then slows down into an impressionistic ballad that is 180 degrees removed from 7:30 of the songs.

The program closes with the two John Coltrane compositions. First up is "Liberia".  Opening in a rubato setting, Waits making odd noises on the cymbals (listen closely and you hear children playing near the bandstand) yet slowly and steadily the piece comes into focus.  Turner introduces the melody, the band kicks in and the music jumps forward. First recorded in 1964 for the Atlantic Lp "Coltrane's Sound", the band gets to stretch their improvisatory wings for nearly 11 minutes.  "Central Park West" (from the same Coltrane album) is the last track (although the Bandcamp version has a different sequence) – this is one of the saxophone master's more popular songs for artists to record because of its airiness, suspended chords, and gentle rhythms. It's a true pleasure to hear Carter and Waits interact, the deep bass notes bouncing off the drum patterns. The solos by Nelson and Turner are impressive while the park sounds makes the listener feel as if they are in the crowd.

"New York Love Letter (Bitter Sweet)" is quite wonderful, covering a wide swath of musical territory in its 51-minute span. The sound of the recording is superb and everyone plays with respect, intelligence, fire, and creativity.  It's truly a joy to pay attention to Nasheet Waits when he plays as his approach to each song is so creative, making even the most recognizable tunes sound fresh and new!

To learn more, go to www.nasheetwaits.com/.  To hear more and to purchase the album, go to  https://nasheetwaits.bandcamp.com/album/new-york-love-letter-bittersweet. 

Listen to the Andrew Hill's "Snake Hip Waltz":

Tribute and Tributaries

In May of 2021, tenor saxophonist and composer James Brandon Lewis released "Jesup Wagon" on Tao Forms (AUM Fidelity). The music on the album told the inspirational story of George Washington Carver (1864-1943), agricultural scientist, inventor, and community organizer (the Southern farming communities). The recording introduced the world to the Red Lily Quintet. Composed of Lewis, Kirk Knuffke (cornet), Chris Hoffman (cello), William Parker (bass), and Chad Taylor (drums, percussion), the ensemble contains multitudes, playing with creativity, invention fire, and wit. The album made a slew of "Best of" lists later that year and deservedly so.

Lewis and the RLQ is back, this time album inspired by the saxophonist's grandmother.  "For Mahalia, With Love" (Tao Forms) is a nine-song program of spirituals made famous by Ms. Jackson (1911-1972) during the four+ decades she toured the United States and the world.  Many people point to the influence of Gospel music on the blues and "soul" music but certainly Black spirituals have influenced a multitude of artists from Louis Armstrong to Duke Ellington to John Coltrane to Archie Shepp to the wonderful albums of Hank Jones and Charlie Haden (there are plenty more).  Lewis and company lean more to the Coltrane type of "testifying" but unlike the 1965 classic "A Love Supreme", there is only one original work on "For Mahalia"–the program opens with "Sparrow", which includes the melody "His Eye Is On The Sparrow" (composed in 1905 by Charles H. Gabriel and Civilla D. Martin) and the leader's "Even the Sparrow".  

Smithsonian/Museum of African History

This music covers a wide swath of territory. From the fiery saxophone shouts on "Calvary" to the swinging final minutes of "Go Down Moses" to the hard-edged driving force of "Wade In The Water" to the joyous power of "Swing Low", this is music that celebrates Ms. Jackson's legacy and builds upon the lessons learned, the lives lost, and the freedoms gained (and now in jeopardy) over the last 400 years.  The music also builds off the messages in the music adapted from the teachings Blacks learned in their churches, the prayers of hope and freedom that flowed into and out of the music. Check out the sly grooves of "Elijah Rock", the splendid bass solo that opens the piece, the long rubato tenor/trumpet call-and-response, and the mid-song drop into tempo; if that does not makes you want to shout "Hallelujah" for its sweet blend of African, Swing, and Caribbean rhythms, I do not know what will

The Red Lily Quintet is an excellent ensemble and the music James Brandon Lewis creates and/or arranges for them gives each person room to move, to influence the direction, to add to the harmonies, to engage in the call-and-response, and more.  The saxophonist's interactions with Knuffke soar, shout praise, and dance on many of the pieces.  Parker and Taylor are...well....they are a rhythm section par excellence in that one creates the foundation and the other the flow plus the fire. There are times when Hoffman's cello gets covered but he's there, sometimes playing counterpoint to the melody, other times counterpoint to the bass lines.  

All told, "For Mahalia, With Love" is a great collection of songs for many and varied reasons, not the least of which is the the ensemble's powerful playing and the excellent settings created by James Brandon Lewis.  Do dip your feet into this mighty stream!

For more information, go to https://jblewis.com/about.  To purchase the recording, go to https://jamesbrandonlewis.bandcamp.com/album/for-mahalia-with-love.  For a limited time, if you purchase the compact disk or vinyl versions of the album, you receive a second disk features Lewis leading the Lutoslawski Quartet in his chamber music piece "These Are Soulful Days", recorded live at its premiere performance in November 2021 at the Jazztopad Festival in Wroclaw, Poland.  

Revive your spirits with "Swing Low":

Photo: Brian Harkin/NYT

Tenor saxophonist Mark Turner has been collecting critical acclaim since he moved to New York City in the early 1990s.  One might say he has a "cool" tone" but you could also argue he's very much his own man.  In late 2019, Turner recorded "Return From the Stars" for ECM with a quartet featuring Jason Palmer (trumpet), long-time collaborator Joe Martin (acoustic bass), and the young, dynamic, drummer Jonathan Pinson.   That group was invited by photographer and label owner Jimmy Katz (Giant Step Arts) to take part in his label's new series. Titled "Modern Masters and New Horizons", the series is curated by Palmer and drummer Nasheet Waits and will include contributions from artists such as vibraphonist Chien Chien Lu, saxophonists Neta Ranaan and Ben Solomon, drummer Eric McPherson and others. 

The first release in the series "Live at The Village Vanguard" and features the Mark Turner Quartet, the same ensemble on the ECM album. Recorded over two nights in June of 2022, the 11-song, 2+ hours, program features material from the earlier studio recording, new pieces written specifically for this ensemble as well as older Turner originals.  What Katz the producer is get out of the artist's way and lets the band do what they do best–play.  Listen to "Return from the Stars" below to hear how tight the band is, how much they listen to each other, and how this music flows.  "Brother, Sister", first recorded in 2014 for ECM with a different quartet (save for Martin), opens with a long, poetic, powerful, solo tenor sax statement––the band comes in seemingly on tiptoes but pay attention to Pinson on the offbeat and Martin's swinging counterpoint.  Palmer gets a shorter unaccompanied solo before the the band reenters. Now the trumpet and sax play long tones while Martin solos.  Notice how the textures change as the music moves forward. 

The newest piece on the album, "Wasteland", is a fascinating ballad that also opens with an unaccompanied tenor sax solo––this time, one hears a plaintive cry, a sense of deep sorrow or, even, loss of hope that leads to a full group elegy. There are long bass notes, Pinson on his toms, a melody line for the sax and trumpet that starts in unison, moves away, and back but in counterpoint now.  When you listen to the song in total, you realize that not only is it an elegy but also serves as a vehicle for the drummer to create short solos in response to and seeming rejection of sorrow.

Photo: Jimmy & Dena Katz

"It's Not Alright With Me" is, at 18:36, the longest track on the album. The playfulness of the melody brings images of the Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet. While the rhythms prances and struts, the band takes its time to move through the melody section.  Martin gets the first solo and it's a tour-de-force, quite melodic yet percussive, careering forward at breakneck speed. Turner's solo starts slowly but he rides the waves created by Pinson to create a masterful, hard-edged, dramatic solo.  

The oldest Turner song on the program, "Lennie Groove", is from the leader's second album, 1998's "In This World".  The piece has a nervous, almost jittery, melody line which does fall into a delightfully swinging "groove".  

"Live at The Village Vanguard" is yet another high water mark in Mark Turner's three decade career.  To me, the best to listen to this album is to sit back, put on headphones, pretend you're at one of the tables at the Vanguard, and let the music play.  There's so much music to listen to so take your time and let them play!

As of now, the best place to find out more about the album is to click on this link: https://www.giantsteparts.org/news/2023/4/3/giant-step-arts-launches-modern-masters-and-new-horizons-series-with-the-first-ever-live-album-as-a-leader-by-saxophonist-mark-turner-recorded-at-the-iconic-village-vanguard.  You can buy copies of the CD at Mark Turner's gigs and there will soon be a Bandcamp link to purchase digital copies. This page will be updated as soon as that happens

Here's the opening track, "Return From the Stars":

Braithwaite & Katz · Return From The Stars - Mark Turner

Ms.Oh and the Future

 

Photo: Shervin Lainez

Before the pandemic, bassist and composer Linda May Han Oh was a very busy person, not just working on her own projects but also performing and/or recording with Pat Metheny, drummer Johnathan Blake, Vijay Iyer as well as with her husband, pianist Fabian Almazan (plus a number of other recording sessions).  Then, the world closed down in March of 2020 and the gigging stopped.  Ms. Oh and Mr. Almazan moved to Perth, Australia, (where the bassist was raised and retains citizenship) to have their first child. The time spent with their baby gave Ms. Oh the time to think her role as a musician in a splintered world, what was important to her, and how could her music has a positive effect on the dialogue swirling around divisive issues such as health-care, climate change, war, and other issues. The music can also be heard as a meditation on time, how we use ours and how time is ever-moving as it moves us.

Upon their return to the United States, put together a quintet that features her husband, drummer Obed Calvaire, tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, and vocalist Sara Serpa.  They entered Brooklyn Recording on June 13 2022 with 10 new original works.  "The Glass Hours" is powered by the powerful melodies, exciting rhythms, and the spirited interactions of the quintet.  Opening with "Circles", the theme is addressed by the wordless vocal, tenor sax, and the potent bass while the pianist and drummer push the music forward. Pay close attention to the rhythm section––Calvaire plays with great presence throughout but especially under the soloists. The handsome bass solo that opens "Chimera" gives way to a thunderous piano solo supported by the drums and bass––that falls into a sense of stasis as the voice, sax, bass, and piano play circular figures while Calvaire dances through his solo.

Photo: Shervin Lainez

"Jus Ad Bellum" is a rubato ballad that addresses man's need to go to war. Ms. Serpa's passionate vocal is underpinned by the war-like drums and scurrying piano lines. The tenor sticks close to the vocal until the forceful bass solo.  The layered voices (including Ms. Oh's) during the drum spot remind this listener of the work of Steve Reich. Watch the video below of "The Imperative", see how the band listen and respond to each other, and note the fluidity in Ms. Oh's bass lines––she is so melodic as well as percussive.  Everyone contributes, each with their own cogent statement as well as their work in the ensemble. 

This material can be thorny, the sound thick at times but the music never falls apart. Notice how the excellent mix (Dave Darlington) ensures that the listener is in the midst of the band, that no one instrument is lost in the crisp sound, Not only is Ms. Oh the foundation of the music but she's the main driver (that frees up Calvaire to respond to the soloists and be part of the melody).  Mr. Almazan benefits from this as well with how he plays underneath the ensemble and how he approaches his own solos (he's certainly one of the most fluid of musicians).  And Ms. Serpa? Because the majority of the time she's singing, there are no words, just syllables. On a piece such as "Phosphorus", she teams with Turner to not only present the melody but also weave their lines in and around each other.  On this track, Ms. Oh's switches to electric bass, dancing along with her husband on the energetic piano solo. 

"The Glass Hours" closes with "Hatchling" (which one imagines is dedicated to her son)––Ms. Oh is on electric bass again so it's the sax, voice, and piano that present the melody then break it into melodic fragments.  The piece moves into a long rubato section before the piano and voice build off the bounce of the bass and drums to playfully strut and dance to the close!  

Linda May Han Oh has become one of the most sought-after bassists in the world. With good reason; how she articulates her notes and her melodic development within a song can be dizzying at times, yet she never overplays or, better, never "showboats".  This album, her sixth, is worth diving into deeply1

For more information, go to https://lindamayhanoh.com/.  To hear more and purchase the album, go to  https://lindamayhanoh.bandcamp.com/album/the-glass-hours. 

Here's the opening track, "Circles":

Watch the group in the studio perform "The Imperative":

Juneteenth Music

 This post is not a review but to tell you about two albums that lovers of small group Creative Black Music should enjoy.

Giant Step Arts, the recording label owned by photographers Jimmy & Dena Katz, sponsored a series of live concerts in Central Park in New York City in late Spring/ early Summer 2021.  They were held on the grounds that once was Seneca Village, an area where a group of free Blacks had established a village in 1825.  Within 20 years, Irish and German immigrants had moved in but the City took the land through eminent domain and everyone was kicked out.  For Juneteenth 2022, Giant Step releases two recordings; the first one "Live from Summit Rock in Seneca Village", features Jason Palmer (trumpet, compositions) leading a group including Mark Turner (tenor saxophone), Edward Perez (bass), and Jonathan Blake (drums).  The quartet plays five pieces, three from Palmer's 2020 album inspired by a number of art works in Boston, MA's famous Isabella Stewart Gardner, one from 2019's Giant Step album "Rhyme or Reason", and one from his 2014 SteepleChase album "Places".  

To find out how to purchase the album, send an email to JasonPalmerTrumpet@gmail.com. 

The second release is the Giant Step Arts debut of the Burton/ McPherson Trio with Dezron Douglas.   This album, titled "The Summit Rock Session at Seneca Rock", was recorded on the first day of Summer 2021, features the muscular tenor saxophone of Abraham Burton and drummer Eric McPherson with bassist Douglas.  If you've only heard McPherson with the Fred Hersch Trio, you'll be impressed by the power in his percussive work.  Saxophonist Burton, the drummer's long-time running partner, combines the power of John Coltrane and David Murray with the improvisatory elegance prowess of Sonny Rollins.  With Douglas's rock-solid bass work as its foundation, the concert is a real treat.  

To find out how to purchase this album, send an email to abrahamburtonjazz@gmail.com. 

To find out more about Giant Step Arts and its mission, go to www.giantsteparts.org/.