What's New on WDCB... with Paul Abella

Ron Blake – Scratch Band (self-produced)

Saxophonist Ron Blake recorded a couple of sessions back in 2021 with bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer John Hadfield. The infectious results are collected on an album called Scratch Band. There are quite a few sax and bass duets heard on Scratch Band, and they are uniformly lovely. “Body and Soul,” Roy Hargrove’s “Another Level,” and “Grace Ann” are all fantastic. When John Hadfield does show up, though, look out. On the opening calypso, “Bassman,” it’s nearly impossible not to smile. “Appointment” takes the heat up a notch further with a hypnotic groove that is easy to get lost in. This is one album I look forward to spending some more time with over the course of the next couple of months.

Ben Esposito – Elation (self-produced)

Drummer Ben Esposito assembled a pretty spectacular band for his latest album, Elation. Boasting a lineup that includes guitarist Bobby Broom, saxophonist Greg Ward, bassist Dennis Carroll, pianist Joey Skoch and vocalist Mar Vilaseca, this band is an embarrassment of riches. Hearing a group of this caliber cut loose on “Bouncin’ with Bud” or “The Lamp is Low” is revelatory. Dennis Carroll’s “TWB” is also quite the journey, and the album closer, “The Ride,” might be short, but it’s a great way to spend two minutes of your time. Elation has some downright stellar moments on it, and I hope we hear more from Mr. Esposito in the future. And if you’d like to hear Ben Esposito’s new album ‘Elation’ … be sure to stop by his Album Release Concert on September 30 at The Jazz Showcase!

Marc Seales – People & Places (Origin Records)

Keyboardist Marc Seales recently released a new album on Origin Records with the legendary Ernie Watts called People & Places. The two of them are joined by Bruce Lett on the bass and Moyes Lucas, Jr. on drums, and for a quartet, they make a huge amount of sound together. Interestingly, the closest comparison I really have to what’s going on here is to call them an acoustic take on Weather Report. Lots of chops used responsibly in service to the song. Fat grooves and earworm melodies help, too. And the inclusion of a Weather Report classic (Wayne Shorter’s “Palladium”) makes this theory even stronger. Ernie Watts sounds like he’s at the top of his game throughout the album, and Marc Seales plays a ton of piano. When he does break out the synthesizers, they’re used tastefully for texture. I don’t know what People and Places Marc Seales had in mind when he envisioned this album, but I want to go there and meet them.