Recent Recordings by Area Musicians

BY PIOTR MICHALOWSKI

Paul Vornhagen is generally acknowledged to be one of the hardest working jazz musicians in the SEMJA area; he plays at various venues on an almost daily basis, travels far field for guest performances, and makes regular visits to the recording studio. On his latest compact disk Heart (BOPO 012) he is featured alongside pianist Tad Weed and some of his regular sidemen, bassists Kurt Krahnke and Nick Calandro, drummers Pete Siers and Randy Marsh, spiced up by Jonathan Ovalle on percussion on three tracks and a cameo visit by vibraphonist Cary Kocher on "Firefly Mambo." Although he continues to favor his main axe—the tenor saxophone— Vornhagen continues to develop his proficiency on many horns. Here he also plays soprano, alto, and baritone saxophones as well as the ocarina and the flute, and his signature vocals grace three tunes. The repertoire is a nice mix of well-known standards such as "My Heart Stood Still," and "Secret Love," a hard-bop anthem, "Crisis," and four Vornhagen originals. The arrangements by Weed and the leader exploit the instrumentation to provide a rich variety; the rhythms vary and on some tracks overdubbed saxophones provide additional colors.

As the title implies, Vornhagen carries his heart on his sleeve; in a sense he is an old-fashioned player who gears his instrumental abilities to basic emotional expression rather than to harmonic complexity or technical dazzle. Weed understands this well, and their rapport contributes much to the success of this recital. Although there are a variety of moods represented here, one returns most often to the ballads. Vornhagen continues to feature his Chet Baker-inspired vocals, often accompanied only by piano and bass, much like the instrumentation favored by the late singer/trumpeter in his latter years. His gentle, Mulligan-like baritone saxophone playing on the ballads is particularly apposite. Most important, he crafts his slow tunes with pensive flavors, expressing complex emotions with just the right touch of reserve. Perhaps it is time that he offered us a ballad album.

Bassist James Ilgenfritz and saxophonist Dan Bennett play together in many different groups covering a broad spectrum of musical styles. Such versatility is the order of the day, but as a result individuality someimes gets sacrificed in the rush, but on bennett/ilgenfritz (We're Twins Records WRT019) one can hear their unadorned voices in a recital of duets. With the exception of one composition by Tim Berne and three written originals, these are completely improvised encounters. Such duets can be tedious affairs, but this recording is full of surprises as both musicians utilize a wide range of expressive means, and their imaginations are rich enough to sustain the duet format. Although there are moments when the young men roar, the general atmosphere is subdued, with much attention to musical detail that justifies repeated listening. Bennett switches between the baritone, tenor, and c-melody saxophones, between standard and extended techniques, while Ilgenfritz plays with the full range of his bass. Both demonstrate their instrumental mastery here, but the true success of the recital is attained by their exquisite interaction; they constantly find new ways of complementing each other without simply mimicking each other's lines and as a result there is a flow to the music that transcends the individual tracks.

I N - T H I S - I S S U E :
1. SUMMER FESTIVALS 2002---2. MICHIGAN JAZZ FESTIVAL
3. AUTHORS AT THE SCARAB---4. RECENT RECORDINGS
5. DAVE DOUGLAS NEW QUINTET---6.BO IS GONE
7. JAZZ CHAIR AT DSO---8. ALLEN AND WALDEN PLAY MONK
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