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Recent Recordings by Area Musicians
In his early years Dobbins paraded his love of Buhaina's style, including those characteristic drum rolls that we all associate with Blakey's playing. But that was just the beginning, and now that he has matured and assimilated his musical influences in an organic manner, it is not technique and mannerisms that remain, but rather concept and spirit. Dobbins no longer sounds like his idol, but he drives his own band in a manner reminiscent of the master, pushing everyone in an almost ecstatic manner. The compositions, with two exceptions, are by Blakey band members, and many were part of the repertoire of the old Messengers, so the danger, on first glance, is that this could be another anonymous, dull tribute, and there are already too many of those. Dobbins knows better: the arrangements are new and often differ markedly from the originals, and the instrumentation, with a front line consisting of alto saxophone and vibraphone/marimba, resembles nothing that we know from Blakey's extensive discography with the Messengers. Dobbins has assembled some of the best musicians in the area for his group: Dean Moore (alto saxophone), Robert Pipho (vibraphone/marimba), Steve Richko (piano), and Marion Hayden (bass); all of them have played together for years in various combinations and have been performing in this group for over a year. As a result, there is coherence in the playing that gives the music much of its power. The three main soloists Moore, Richko, and Pipho share a love of melody and avoid standard phrases, but, above all, the whole recital has an irresistible rhythmic exaltation that pays spiritual tribute to Blakey without pandering or imitation. You can very well imagine his big smile as he listens to this smoldering band.
This is the kind of recording that is designed to be a complete package that creates and maintains a mood, but if you listen closely, there are also some outstanding musical moments, mainly provided by Monear and Collins. For romance or solitary relaxation, this album has everything you need, but you will have to supply the fireplace and the dog.
This is a real sound portrait: these are not rejects from other sessions but recordings made during a specific week last November at the Firefly. The music runs the gamut from Phil Ogilvie's Rhythm Kings, dedicated to preserving the music of the twenties and thirties, and The Easy Street Jazz Band that plays traditional and Dixieland jazz, to Tad Weed's Freedom Ensemble that is dedicated to creating the art of the future. It features two big bands: a nineteen year old ensemble consisting of some of the region's finest established musicians (The Paul Keller Orchestra), and a brand new one, consisting of rising players, many of whom were not born when Keller started his band (The Cool Moose Orchestra). Modern small group jazz is represented by the Paul Keller Ensemble, and Latin sounds by Los Gatos. The whole lineup adds up to over fifty musicians from more than three generations, all in one short week! Susan Chastain, following in the footsteps of Ron Brooks, sustains a musical venue that supports an unusual range of styles and covers the whole history of jazz. Indeed, it would be hard to find another club anywhere that features, on a regular basis, two traditional jazz groups, a Latin combo, not one, but two big bands, and an avant-garde quartet! This CD is a gesture of love and gratitude from the musicians who play at the place, and all the proceeds go to Firefly. You are therefore urged to purchase your own copy, but this would hardly be altruistic, as all the music on this album is superb. I N - T H I S - I S S U E : |