Musicians
always strive to capture the spirit and energy of a live performance in the
recording studio—a formidable challenge with the mirror of the live audience. With
“Night and Day,” the brilliant alto saxophonist Vincent Herring achieves this elusive goal unequivocally. Renowned
for his soulful and powerfully expressive playing, Herring is joined on the
front line for six pieces by the equally combustible trumpeter Jeremy Pelt. The
rhythm section of Mike LeDonne on piano, Brandi Disterheft on bass, and Joe
Farnsworth on drums are ideally suited to the fierce energy and take-no-prisoners
context, performing with exuberant fire and impeccable taste throughout.
The time
honored legacy of jazz is to look upon its heritage to build its future. The
remarkable organist Pat Bianchi is
totally dedicated to that tradition, which is in full evidence on his
extraordinary new CD, “A Higher Standard.” With his outstanding arrangements and
the shared commitment of the other members of his trio—guitarist Craig Ebner and
longtime associate Byron Landham on drums—Pat delivers a scintillating and
captivating set of ten sonic landscapes. Building upon Larry Young’s liberation
of the instrument from its previous confines, Bianchi combines fiery
adventurousness with a highly lyrical imagination, equally at play on beautiful
ballads and blazing drivers.
Also this week,
reedman Grant Stewart pares his
ensemble down to a threesome for the first time on disc with “Trio”; pianist Dana Landry presents a swinging set of
tunes from the golden age of song with his quartet on “Standard Elevation”; and
saxophonist Tom Tallitsch includes
trombonist Michael Dease and keyboardist Brian Charette in his sextet for “All
Together Now.”
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