ishing-school' ranks went many ofthe most important-to-be players ofthe era, and a particularly interestingedition was the one documentedon Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers"Live in '58" (DVWWJIAB). A band of Philadelphianswas assembled by tenorist-composerBenny Golson, including the 20 yearold Lee Mor- i::::...::::::_::::::::::::::: •gan (playing }i'l.111,,}"'ll" .Jtrumpet with __.,...,_,,..,amazingpoise) and pianistBobbyTimmons,whose hit tuneMoan in' had 'just been recorded,and is ·heard here.Ella Fitzgerald, "Live in '57 &'63" (DVWW-JIEF) presents thesinger as a featured artist on a NormanGranz tour in the '57 Belgianc ·= ··· :s:t·:::9 &IU1/
eferences to what sounds precededhis. Ultimately the most fitting triwnphof the CD is that on it he resemblesno other guitarist but himself.Ken Waxmanc:tICl7iL,--D [t :f.--f{1 1.1· 'tBlue MercerThe Andrew Scott QuintetSackville SKCD2-2066With the exception of two originalsby the leader- a lullaby and a bluesnumber- the program here is madeup of songs written, in whole or inpart, by the inimitable Johnny Mercer.The fine young guitaristAndrewScott fronts a recording group thathas Randy Sandke on trumpet, MikeMurley, tenor saxophone; BernieSenensky, piano; Louis Simao, bass,and Joel Haynes on drums. The bandis tight enough to pass for a workinggroup. Since the music is unrepentantlymainstream in style, it's interestingto hear how well the moreforward-looking participants presentaccommodate themselves.The leader's playing is a delight.Scott never hogs the spotlight but hisbuoyant pulse can be felt throughout.In his beautifully constructedsolos one can hear the influence ofBarney Kessel and Kenny Burrell.And traces of Wes Montgomery tumup in spots as well. But Scott is byno means a copyist. With his assured,yet relaxed, playing he has becomehis own man. His eminent sidemenare the icing on the cake. In the frontline, Randy Sandke's warm, brassytrumpet blends beautifully with MikeMurley's agile tenor. And the rhythmteam of Bernie Senensky (who, Imust say, sounds completely athome in the swing setting), LouisSimao and Joel Haynes bring a ballbearingmobility to the proceedings.Highlights include the Latin-tingedTangerine, Have a Heart, ThisTime the Dream's on Me, and AndrewScott's original, Blue Mercer.Highly recommended.At This TimeKollageTimely Manor TMllS-02Don BrownToronto has long had a reputationfor being strong in the bebop tradi-DECEMBER 1 2006 - FEBRUARY 7 2007tion and this outing by Kollage, recordedat The Old Mill in Torontofor JAZZ.FM9 I's "Sound Of Toronto"jazz series, amply demonstratesthat the line continues.Co-led by Archie Alleyne andDoug Richardson, the band is a goodmix of experience and new-fledgedtalent with Alexis Baro on trumpet,Mei Kelly on trombone, Ron Johnstonon bass and Robi Botos, piano.Alleyne, plainly a disciple of ArtBlakey, has nevertheless a distinctivestyle of his own and has madehis mark on the Toronto scene, ashas his musical partner, Doug Richardson.There are two originals - anearthy Bloo-C-Groove by Baro andArchie MeetsArtby Bill King. Theremaining seven numbers are jazzstandards by Donald Byrd -At ThisTime; Horace Silver - Lonely Woman,which is a feature for trumpeterAlexis Baro; Kenny Drew - AddDis-Un; Louis Alter/Bob Russell -Circus; Benny Golson - Are YouReal?; Wayne Shorter- On The Ginza;and for good measure,/ LI Wind, aneglected song by Harold Arlen andTed Koehler, which gives Doug Richardsona chance to show off hisconsiderable solo skills. His is avoice worthy of more recognition.Everybody chips in with enthusiasmand there is an abundance ofstrong solo work, more than makingup for the occasional rough edgewhich is sometimes found in a liveperformance.Jim GallowayCode BreakingTara DavidsonIndependent TD-06( www.taradavidson.ca)Saxophonist Tara Davidson has releasedher third CD, "Code Breaking",and for someone of her tenderyears - she's not yet out of her twenties- it is quite an accomplishment.This is especially true because shedoesn't cover other people's tunesor rework old standards. The songson this disc are all of herown makingand, for the most part, they areswingy, boppy (or is that post-boppy?)and accessible. There are acouple of slower, contemplativeWWW. THEWHOLENOTE.COMsongs, most notably Black NightBlue, a tango which manages toconvey both the air of restraint anddark emotions roiling beneath thesurface that typify tango.Ms. Davidson favours the sopranosax on this disc, though thealto makes many appearances aswell, and she has a bright sound andlyrical presence on both. DavidBraid turns in his usual highly-skilled,inventive and melodic work on keys- an interesting mix of acoustic andelectric pianos (Fender Rhodes,Wurlitzer ... ) which add welcome variety.The Prophet electric piano isan especially clever choice on Jigfor Joshua (Redman) as it blendsso well with the soprano sax.Michael McClennan and ErnestoCervini support ably on bass anddrums and Mike Murley lends hisconsiderable tenor sax skills to manyof the tunes.Ms. Davidson can be seen regularlyplaying in Toronto in the dwi ndling number of jazz clubs like thePilot and the Rex, both with her ownensembles and others'.Cathy RichesNo One Else But KennyKenny Davern TrioSackville SKCD2-3069Clarinet trios - claiinet, piano, drnms(no bass) - have been surprisinglypopular in jazz. Producer John Norriscites nine examples ranging fromJohnny Dodds in the '20s throughBenny Goodman in the '30s, PeeWee Russell in the '40s and DarnellHoward in the' 50s. Kenny Davern,a highly skilled player and one of themost interesting clarinettists on thescene today, is completely at homefronting such a group. His colleagues,David Boeddinghaus, pianoand Trevor Richards, drums, fitStocking StuffcrsrccommL'll.di::cJ byDISCon1y ReviewersEli Eisenberg:Two guitars, two Johns, and onepacked house in Dublin make for agreat CD ofclassical-jazzvirtuosity. PlacesBetween - JohnWilliams &John EtheridgeLive in Dublin ....__.....__..__ .-.......(Sony Classical 88697-00907-2)Seth Estrin:lll L \li •/ .\ !t l' _\ L! W.\lWhat better wayto finish off theMozart year thanwith this delightfulalbum ofopera arias andduets? The Mozart Album ( DeutscheGrammophon 477 6297) notonly offers a wide-ranging survey ofMozart's operas but also the chanceto hear some of today's finest Mozartians,including Anna Netrebko,Thomas Quasthoff, Bryn Terfel, andElina Garanca.Janos Gardonyi:Volume Ill of Andras Schiff's muchpraised Beethoven Piano Sonatacycle (ECM New ~----~Series 1943)has just come .ti:< .,,out. The CD...., · · - ~- ·•contains two'baby' sonatas(Op.49), familiar ~----~to all piano students, and Op. 14nos. 1 and 2 (more mature worksfrom 1798-99) and the grand sonataOp. 22 from 1800. We are past the'Pathetique' now and Beethoven'sunique voice is more and moremanifest. Schilf's playing is analyticaland crystal clear yet full of expressionand has a singing qualityso important to these pieces, especiallySonata No. 10, my favourite inthis group.John S. Gray:- Angela Cheng rules! Chopin:Preludes op.28 & Polonaises(CBC EOCBC7280) is a Chopinlover'sdream CD- perfect record- c" 0 ""'ing sound, 71minutes of music,and linernotes by RickPhillips. continues page79
