JAM: October/November 2004 Issue: For the Record

Kim Park Quartet
Live at Sound Trek (DVD)

Personnel: Kim Park, saxophones and flute; Joe Cartwright, piano; Todd Strait, drums; Bob Bowman, bass.

Tracks: Milton's Blues, Street of Dreams, Like Someone in Love, Rain, Lucy's Revenge, Anthropology

Recorded in 2003 at Sound Trek Studios

Kim Park's latest release—a DVD—is in living color, picks and players alike. I witnessed most of this group live at a private party recently and believe me this is the next best thing. The simple setting, Sound Trek Studios, works fine since it is the music that captures and captivates the listener/viewer anyway.

This six-tune disc is a representative offering from the boundlessly talented reedsman. It opens with an original, “Milton's Blues.” The walking tempo carries a mellow unison line that blossoms into a sizzling solo with a scatting of hum doubling the flute. Both Joe Cartwright and Bob Bowman deliver saucy takes and Park literally (visually) pulls the tune away at the finale.

“Street of Dreams' begins with a moody, smoky, sexy, breathy yet articulate alto, riding the changes like an eagle in a zephyr. This is one of the best translations you'll ever hear. It includes several “ah-hah” moments produced by Cartwright and Park's hold-your-breath cadenza resolution. See “intimate.” See “perfection.”

Remember that giddy feeling, dancing around the house to the happiness bursting from within? That's the ideal groove from which “Like Someone in Love” swings. There are awesome alto figures, inimitable attacks and releases, improvisational milestones—still it's the feel that sells this one. Fresh, frisky, freewheeling, fun. Both Cartwright and Bowman hold forth eloquently, after which we're treated to a drum solo, the incomparable brushwork of Todd Strait. So tasty, so tuneful, then trading fanciful lines with the piano and bass. A real treat.

“Rain,” another Park original, would make a terrific score for some film noir, but certainly stands on its own as well. It is a beautiful sliding, melting melody. Park's wistful soprano conjures sentimental scenes completely compatible with the title. Now we have to find someone to write the movie. Speaking of which, there are some nice visuals here: one musician fading into another, double exposures (Strait's mallets over Cartwright's piano). Very effective camera work.

At first listening (before I heard the bridge), I thought Park's “Lucy's Revenge” was a clever permutation of “Alice in Wonderland,” but what did I know? Like “Alice” it's a bright and breezy jazz waltz, another ideal showcase for Park's facile flute. He subsequently doubletimes the head, and the clarity with which he produces a multitude of magical notes is dazzling. Bowman's punctilious pizzicato is followed by Cartwright's full-figured offering. (It's good to regularly remind ourselves what a pleasure it is listening to Joe.)

“Anthropology” rounds out the set at customary warp speed. Park's alto runs are melodic, clever, original—a wild man wailing. I can't tap this fast. I can barely think this fast. Cartwright's contribution is a monster, fingers flying, likewise Bowman's and Strait's romps, and the whiplash chorus trading. Swapping two's at this tempo should guarantee a halo and wings. The split screen shots are well timed and well done. And, as always, Ron Ubel's mix is predictably flawless.

This is one of the tightest groups anywhere, and for the price of a DVD you can have the “live” in your living room. It's a unique opportunity to see and hear four incredible musicians who make us grateful to live in Kansas City.

— Carol Comer

John Stein Trio
Interplay
Azica Records AJD72226

Personnel: John Stein (guitar), John Lockwood (bass), Yoron Israel (drums)

Tracks: Eleanor's Folly, Django, Bluesette, Goodbye, Darn That Dream, Poinciana, Polka Dots and Moonbeams, Estaté, Weaver of Dreams

Recorded March 18 and 19, 2003, at PBS in Westwood, MA; Peter Kontrimas, Engineer.

I listened to this disc six or seven times before I thought to read the liner notes. I had the impression I was listening to a working band—three cats who had spent years playing with each other. What I heard was the kind of chemistry I associate with Keith Jarrett's work with Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette, and the apparent telepathy that goes on between Brad Mehldau, Jorge Rossy, and Larry Grenadier.

Then I find out that Kansas City native John Stein has worked occasionally with John Lockwood, but had never met Yoron Israel before this recording session. It's a sort of loss-of-cabin-pressure feeling—the tour guide is showing you Rome and mentions, casually, that it was built in just a day.

Except for the opening track, it's an all-standards set. Stein's tone is clean and dry, not quite as free of reverb as an old Wes Montgomery recording, but restrained enough to have the feeling you're in the room with the trio, not in a concert hall. Stein's playing is very complete, exploiting the guitar's polyphonic nature with beautiful harmonized arrangements, chord solos, and adroit single-note lines.

Lockwood and Israel are completely transparent. On tracks like “Django” and “Weaver of Dreams” where Stein sets up the head with a solo arrangement, you don't even realize they've snuck in at first. All three get ample solo time; the set is not a showcase of John Stein with bass and drums along for the ride. The one piece where Stein plays unaccompanied is “Polka Dots and Moonbeams,” a solo arrangement in the tradition of Joe Pass (and Wes—who's own solo arrangement of that tune has seen many rotations on my turntable).

Living up to the title of the album, the three together do a lot of the spontaneous “arranging” that is the essence of interplay, feeding off each other. Fans of traditional jazz, who appreciate the virtuosity required to make great music without trying to show-boat the skills of any one player, won't go wrong with this.

—Rod McBride

Bob Brookmeyer
Stay Out of the Sun
Challenge CHR 70110

Personnel: Bob Brookmeyer, valve trombone, piano; Michael Stephens, drums; Larry Koonse, guitar; Tom Warrington, bass.

Tracks: If I Loved You, Wistful Thinking, Stay Out of the Sun, Longing, Kathleen, Turtle, Janet Planet, Bruise, Blue In Green

Recorded August 8 and 9, 2000 at Frontline Studios in Los Angeles; recorded and mixed by Talley Sherwood and James Bennett.

If this publication is a good indicator, Kansas City native Bob Brookmeyer has become a frequent presence in recording studios around the world. The June and August issues of JAM included reviews of Brookmeyer CDs; one a compilation and the other a 2002 recording. The releases make appropriate evidence for the variety of contexts that Brookmeyer excels in, from small-group mainstream to more challenging larger groups featuring his fresh writing.

Stay Out of the Sun was recorded four years ago and is a collaboration between longtime friends Brookmeyer and drummer Michael Stephens. Stephens introduced himself to Brookmeyer 30 years ago at one of the trombonist's gigs and insisted that they get together. According to the liner comments, Stephens gets much of the credit for Brookmeyer's continued commitment to a career in music. After Brookmeyer became sober in the 1970s and planned to abandon music to become a counselor, Stephens would not let him stop playing.

This session is reminiscent of the Brookmeyer Small Band recording, Live at Sandy's, from the 1970s. That, too, was a straight-ahead quartet featuring guitar rather than piano. However, while Sandy's four sides contained only two Brookmeyer originals among a standard-filled set of gems, this set contains four Brookmeyer originals plus another that receives group compositional credit (the free-blues “Bruise”). Guitarist Koonse, whose bright electric tone may remind listeners of Danny Embrey (albeit Koonse's syncopated feel is more pronounced than Danny's) also contributed his ballad “Longing,” which co-features Brookmeyer on piano.

Brookmeyer has long been among the most fluent, melodic, and witty soloists. This is the case with Stay Out of the Sun. I note especially the title track, where wisps of “How High the Moon” and “Got a Lot of Living to Do” dot the original Brookmeyer line. The contemplative side of Brookmeyer can be heard in the original waltz for the Wisconsin-based vocalist “Janet Planet.”

“Turtle” could be an ode to a box turtle's early morning. There is some call-response as the tune emerges from its shell, checking out the surroundings. Tom Warrington's bass then sets an easy turtle-stroll rhythm. There are opportunities for the turtle to pause and recheck the surroundings before a steady 4/4 turtle gallop continues the journey. This is another wonderful Brookmeyer composition.

It is easy to see why Stephens and Brookmeyer have developed a strong musical relationship. Stephens' cymbals provide the king of color that sets perfectly against the smooth horn. His role here is not unlike that of Joe Labarbera on the aforementioned Sandy's session, another connection between these sessions.

As in the Brookmeyer/Ed Dix session recorded several years ago, this disc is easily recommended to fans of Brookmeyer's fresh takes on the mainstream.

--Roger Atkinson

That's Time Enough
The Leslie Maclean Trio
Personnel: Leslie Maclean, piano; Bob Bowman, bass; Jerry Pollock, drums, percussion.

Tracks: A Night in Tunisia; A Child Is Born; Billie's Bounce, Chichen-Itza; Somewhere Over the Rainbow; We're Off to See the Wizard; If I Only Had a Brain; Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead; Poinciana; Roll in the Hay; I Loves You, Porgy; That's Time Enough.

Recorded 2004 at Soundtrek Studios, Kansas City, Mo., Ron Ubel, engineer.

Pianist Leslie Maclean and her husband, drummer Jerry Pollock, have been trying to break into the KC jazz scene the past year. The St. Louis musicians have performed around Kansas City a few times and plan to do so again in November. In the meantime, they are releasing a new CD called That's Time Enough.

The album opens with a strong Dizzy Gillespie number, “Night in Tunisia.” Maclean really makes this tune swing, fingers skipping nimbly over the keys. Bob Bowman also does some very innovative solo work.

Chichen-Itza is a haunting, melodic number written by Maclean. It has a lot of synchopated runs up and down the keyboard, stopping at times to squeeze your heart before releasing and running merrily along. (Regardless of the confusing name, the song really communicates.)

The trio does a medley of Wizard of Oz tunes, called “To Oz? To Oz!” I found this a fun interpretation of the 1939 musical. Dorothy—er, perhaps Maclean--waltzes in with “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” “We're Off to See the Wizard” starts off with light, skipping piano work and is befriended by chords and more accompaniment as it moves along. In “If I Only Had A Brain,” Maclean and Bowman playfully “sing” the simple tune back and forth to each other before it takes on several smart variations on the theme. Finally, a sprinkling of fairy dust in the form of arpeggios opens a very somber and slow “Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead” until Pollock suddenly lets it rip and the tune is fast and joyous.

Another Maclean original, “Roll in the Hay” was a toe-tapping number that truly rolls along and ultimately puts a smile on your face. “I Loves You, Porgy” takes you on an emotional ride. Perhaps due to Maclean's experience in musical theater, this version really hits the right stride and notes to tell a sad and happy story. Finally in the title cut “That's Time Enough,” Maclean's fingers and the trio seem to be doing double time. (She must have sat down and said that's time enough after penning that one.)

Maclean is truly talented. I highly recommend this CD to anyone who enjoys jazz piano.

-- Kathy Feist-Vescovi






	Search our site:		Kim Park Quartet Live at Sound Trek (DVD) *Personnel: Kim Park, saxophones and flute; Joe Cartwright, piano; Todd Strait, drums; Bob Bowman, bass.* *Tracks: Milton's Blues, Street of Dreams, Like Someone in Love, Rain, Lucy's Revenge, Anthropology* *Recorded in 2003 at Sound Trek Studios* Kim Park's latest release—a DVD—is in living color, picks and players alike. I witnessed most of this group live at a private party recently and believe me this is the next best thing. The simple setting, Sound Trek Studios, works fine since it is the music that captures and captivates the listener/viewer anyway. This six-tune disc is a representative offering from the boundlessly talented reedsman. It opens with an original, “Milton's Blues.” The walking tempo carries a mellow unison line that blossoms into a sizzling solo with a scatting of hum doubling the flute. Both Joe Cartwright and Bob Bowman deliver saucy takes and Park literally (visually) pulls the tune away at the finale. “Street of Dreams' begins with a moody, smoky, sexy, breathy yet articulate alto, riding the changes like an eagle in a zephyr. This is one of the best translations you'll ever hear. It includes several “ah-hah” moments produced by Cartwright and Park's hold-your-breath cadenza resolution. See “intimate.” See “perfection.” Remember that giddy feeling, dancing around the house to the happiness bursting from within? That's the ideal groove from which “Like Someone in Love” swings. There are awesome alto figures, inimitable attacks and releases, improvisational milestones—still it's the feel that sells this one. Fresh, frisky, freewheeling, fun. Both Cartwright and Bowman hold forth eloquently, after which we're treated to a drum solo, the incomparable brushwork of Todd Strait. So tasty, so tuneful, then trading fanciful lines with the piano and bass. A real treat. “Rain,” another Park original, would make a terrific score for some film noir, but certainly stands on its own as well. It is a beautiful sliding, melting melody. Park's wistful soprano conjures sentimental scenes completely compatible with the title. Now we have to find someone to write the movie. Speaking of which, there are some nice visuals here: one musician fading into another, double exposures (Strait's mallets over Cartwright's piano). Very effective camera work. At first listening (before I heard the bridge), I thought Park's “Lucy's Revenge” was a clever permutation of “Alice in Wonderland,” but what did I know? Like “Alice” it's a bright and breezy jazz waltz, another ideal showcase for Park's facile flute. He subsequently doubletimes the head, and the clarity with which he produces a multitude of magical notes is dazzling. Bowman's punctilious pizzicato is followed by Cartwright's full-figured offering. (It's good to regularly remind ourselves what a pleasure it is listening to Joe.) “Anthropology” rounds out the set at customary warp speed. Park's alto runs are melodic, clever, original—a wild man wailing. I can't tap this fast. I can barely think this fast. Cartwright's contribution is a monster, fingers flying, likewise Bowman's and Strait's romps, and the whiplash chorus trading. Swapping two's at this tempo should guarantee a halo and wings. The split screen shots are well timed and well done. And, as always, Ron Ubel's mix is predictably flawless. This is one of the tightest groups anywhere, and for the price of a DVD you can have the “live” in your living room. It's a unique opportunity to see and hear four incredible musicians who make us grateful to live in Kansas City. — Carol Comer John Stein Trio Interplay Azica Records AJD72226 Personnel: John Stein (guitar), John Lockwood (bass), Yoron Israel (drums) Tracks: Eleanor's Folly, Django, Bluesette, Goodbye, Darn That Dream, Poinciana, Polka Dots and Moonbeams, Estaté, Weaver of Dreams Recorded March 18 and 19, 2003, at PBS in Westwood, MA; Peter Kontrimas, Engineer. I listened to this disc six or seven times before I thought to read the liner notes. I had the impression I was listening to a working band—three cats who had spent years playing with each other. What I heard was the kind of chemistry I associate with Keith Jarrett's work with Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette, and the apparent telepathy that goes on between Brad Mehldau, Jorge Rossy, and Larry Grenadier. Then I find out that Kansas City native John Stein has worked occasionally with John Lockwood, but had never met Yoron Israel before this recording session. It's a sort of loss-of-cabin-pressure feeling—the tour guide is showing you Rome and mentions, casually, that it was built in just a day. Except for the opening track, it's an all-standards set. Stein's tone is clean and dry, not quite as free of reverb as an old Wes Montgomery recording, but restrained enough to have the feeling you're in the room with the trio, not in a concert hall. Stein's playing is very complete, exploiting the guitar's polyphonic nature with beautiful harmonized arrangements, chord solos, and adroit single-note lines. Lockwood and Israel are completely transparent. On tracks like “Django” and “Weaver of Dreams” where Stein sets up the head with a solo arrangement, you don't even realize they've snuck in at first. All three get ample solo time; the set is not a showcase of John Stein with bass and drums along for the ride. The one piece where Stein plays unaccompanied is “Polka Dots and Moonbeams,” a solo arrangement in the tradition of Joe Pass (and Wes—who's own solo arrangement of that tune has seen many rotations on my turntable). Living up to the title of the album, the three together do a lot of the spontaneous “arranging” that is the essence of interplay, feeding off each other. Fans of traditional jazz, who appreciate the virtuosity required to make great music without trying to show-boat the skills of any one player, won't go wrong with this. —Rod McBride Bob Brookmeyer Stay Out of the Sun Challenge CHR 70110 *Personnel: Bob Brookmeyer, valve trombone, piano; Michael Stephens, drums; Larry Koonse, guitar; Tom Warrington, bass.* *Tracks: If I Loved You, Wistful Thinking, Stay Out of the Sun, Longing, Kathleen, Turtle, Janet Planet, Bruise, Blue In Green* *Recorded August 8 and 9, 2000 at Frontline Studios in Los Angeles; recorded and mixed by Talley Sherwood and James Bennett.* If this publication is a good indicator, Kansas City native Bob Brookmeyer has become a frequent presence in recording studios around the world. The June and August issues of JAM included reviews of Brookmeyer CDs; one a compilation and the other a 2002 recording. The releases make appropriate evidence for the variety of contexts that Brookmeyer excels in, from small-group mainstream to more challenging larger groups featuring his fresh writing. Stay Out of the Sun was recorded four years ago and is a collaboration between longtime friends Brookmeyer and drummer Michael Stephens. Stephens introduced himself to Brookmeyer 30 years ago at one of the trombonist's gigs and insisted that they get together. According to the liner comments, Stephens gets much of the credit for Brookmeyer's continued commitment to a career in music. After Brookmeyer became sober in the 1970s and planned to abandon music to become a counselor, Stephens would not let him stop playing. This session is reminiscent of the Brookmeyer Small Band recording, Live at Sandy's, from the 1970s. That, too, was a straight-ahead quartet featuring guitar rather than piano. However, while Sandy's four sides contained only two Brookmeyer originals among a standard-filled set of gems, this set contains four Brookmeyer originals plus another that receives group compositional credit (the free-blues “Bruise”). Guitarist Koonse, whose bright electric tone may remind listeners of Danny Embrey (albeit Koonse's syncopated feel is more pronounced than Danny's) also contributed his ballad “Longing,” which co-features Brookmeyer on piano. Brookmeyer has long been among the most fluent, melodic, and witty soloists. This is the case with Stay Out of the Sun. I note especially the title track, where wisps of “How High the Moon” and “Got a Lot of Living to Do” dot the original Brookmeyer line. The contemplative side of Brookmeyer can be heard in the original waltz for the Wisconsin-based vocalist “Janet Planet.” “Turtle” could be an ode to a box turtle's early morning. There is some call-response as the tune emerges from its shell, checking out the surroundings. Tom Warrington's bass then sets an easy turtle-stroll rhythm. There are opportunities for the turtle to pause and recheck the surroundings before a steady 4/4 turtle gallop continues the journey. This is another wonderful Brookmeyer composition. It is easy to see why Stephens and Brookmeyer have developed a strong musical relationship. Stephens' cymbals provide the king of color that sets perfectly against the smooth horn. His role here is not unlike that of Joe Labarbera on the aforementioned Sandy's session, another connection between these sessions. As in the Brookmeyer/Ed Dix session recorded several years ago, this disc is easily recommended to fans of Brookmeyer's fresh takes on the mainstream. --Roger Atkinson That's Time Enough The Leslie Maclean Trio *Personnel: Leslie Maclean, piano; Bob Bowman, bass; Jerry Pollock, drums, percussion.* Tracks: A Night in Tunisia; A Child Is Born; Billie's Bounce, Chichen-Itza; Somewhere Over the Rainbow; We're Off to See the Wizard; If I Only Had a Brain; Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead; Poinciana; Roll in the Hay; I Loves You, Porgy; That's Time Enough. *Recorded 2004 at Soundtrek Studios, Kansas City, Mo., Ron Ubel, engineer.* Pianist Leslie Maclean and her husband, drummer Jerry Pollock, have been trying to break into the KC jazz scene the past year. The St. Louis musicians have performed around Kansas City a few times and plan to do so again in November. In the meantime, they are releasing a new CD called That's Time Enough. The album opens with a strong Dizzy Gillespie number, “Night in Tunisia.” Maclean really makes this tune swing, fingers skipping nimbly over the keys. Bob Bowman also does some very innovative solo work. Chichen-Itza is a haunting, melodic number written by Maclean. It has a lot of synchopated runs up and down the keyboard, stopping at times to squeeze your heart before releasing and running merrily along. (Regardless of the confusing name, the song really communicates.) The trio does a medley of Wizard of Oz tunes, called “To Oz? To Oz!” I found this a fun interpretation of the 1939 musical. Dorothy—er, perhaps Maclean--waltzes in with “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” “We're Off to See the Wizard” starts off with light, skipping piano work and is befriended by chords and more accompaniment as it moves along. In “If I Only Had A Brain,” Maclean and Bowman playfully “sing” the simple tune back and forth to each other before it takes on several smart variations on the theme. Finally, a sprinkling of fairy dust in the form of arpeggios opens a very somber and slow “Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead” until Pollock suddenly lets it rip and the tune is fast and joyous. Another Maclean original, “Roll in the Hay” was a toe-tapping number that truly rolls along and ultimately puts a smile on your face. “I Loves You, Porgy” takes you on an emotional ride. Perhaps due to Maclean's experience in musical theater, this version really hits the right stride and notes to tell a sad and happy story. Finally in the title cut “That's Time Enough,” Maclean's fingers and the trio seem to be doing double time. (She must have sat down and said that's time enough after penning that one.) Maclean is truly talented. I highly recommend this CD to anyone who enjoys jazz piano. -- Kathy Feist-Vescovi RETURN TO OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2004 MAIN INDEX © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2004. All rights reserved.