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

Bruce Forman – Reunion! (B4Man Music)

Bruce Forman is a huge Barney Kessel fan, and by extension, was also a big fan of the series of The Poll Winners albums that came out on Contemporary Records between 1957 – 1960 (with one reunion record in 1976). That unit, with Barney Kessel, Ray Brown and Shelly Manne, inspired Reunion. Forman (guitar), is joined by John Clayton on the bass and Jeff Hamilton on drums, and they even went so far as to procure Kessel’s guitar, Ray Brown’s bass and Shelly Manne’s drums for the recording date. Some of these songs appeared on those original Poll Winners albums, and some of these are originals by Forman and Clayton, but all of them are swinging hard. “Rope-A-Dope,” “BRS,” and “Gravy Waltz” are favorites for me.

The Cookers – Look Out! (Gearbox)

The Cookers are a supergroup that’s released a small handful of albums, and they’re all incredible. Their latest effort, Look Out! is no exception. Led by tenor saxophonist Billy Harper, the band also includes (this time out), Donald Harrison on alto, Eddie Henderson and David Weiss playing trumpets, and the rhythm section of George Cables, Cecil McBee and Billy Hart. From the first notes of “The Mystery of Monifa Brown” to the set closer “Mutima,” Look Out! is chock full of bright moments.

Harold Mabern – Mabern Plays Coltrane (Smoke Sessions)

Harold Mabern may have passed away in 2019, but due to an abundance of live recordings make at Smoke, a Jazz club in New York City, We’ve been able to hear some at least “new to us” music in the past couple of years. Mabern Plays Coltrane is exactly what the title tells you: six John Coltrane compositions, and one song (“My Favorite Things”) that’s so inextricably linked to him that it might as well bare Coltrane’s name in the songwriting credits. It helps that Mabern has surrounded himself with top notch talent, including most of the band One For All: Eric Alexander (tenor sax), Steve Davis (trombone), John Webber (bass) and Joe Farnsworth (drums), with Vincent Herring adding his alto saxophone to the proceedings as well. Mabern does well to mess with the arrangements a little here and there. You’re not going to beat Coltrane at his game, so, better to bend the songs to your will. So, “Dahomey Dance” gets played at a significantly faster clip than the original. “Dear Lord” takes on a bit of a Soul Jazz feel, and “Naima” gets a bit of a Brazilian lilt that gives the song a whole new character. All in all, it’s a really nice disc.