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

The Reid Hoyson Project – In Your Dreams (RHP)

Drummer Reid Hoyson is back with a new album featuring The Reid Hoyson Project called In Your Dreams. Hendrik Meurkens is on the vibes and harmonica, Keith Bishop plays sax, Billy Test is the pianist, Tony DePaolis is on the bass, and Hoyson, of course, is behind the drum kit. Over the course of three days in July 2023, they recorded the ten songs heard on In Your Dreams. This is, by far, one of the most relaxed albums I’ve come across in a long time. Even when the tempos get a little faster on “Sammy’s Hat” or “In Your Dreams,” everyone sounds incredibly laid back. On the mellower songs, the vibe is even more easy going. “The Watchman,” “Detroit” and “Summer in San Francisco” all feel as if they were inspired by a refreshing breeze. And that’s a great thing.

Mitch Towne – Refuge (Cross Towne Records)

Within 30 seconds of hitting play on organist Mitch Towne’s new CD, Refuge, I was saying, “Dang! Somebody loves Larry Young!” The influence of Young on Mitch Towne is undeniable, but, hey, if you’re going to wear your influences on your sleeve, it helps to be influenced by the best, right? Towne is joined by guitarist Tetsuya Nishiyama and drummer Jeffery Johnson for seven impressive tracks. Jammin’ right out of the gate, “Wolverine” is a swirling and swinging way to get things moving. “Refuge” shows off some slick writing by Towne before getting down to business on some hard driving soloing by Nishiyama and the bandleader. The only non-original on the album is a loping Kenny Kirkland song, “Steepian Faith,” which gets a fine reading. The two almost ballads on the album, “Better Now than Never at All” and “Some Work of Noble Note May Yet be Done” are both buoyed by some ethereal drumming from Johnson, who does a fine job of every one of these seven songs forward with some solid grooves. I always like a nice surprise when I listen to a new album, and Refuge was indeed a surprise. A tasty organist with a tight trio and some nice compositions? I’ll take it.

Gillian Margot & Geoffrey Keezer – self-titled (MarKeez Records)

Vocalist Gillian Margot and pianist Geoffrey Keezer have been working together for over ten years at this point, and their latest, self-titled album shows off the fruits of that labor, and the musical chemistry between them. The sparseness of the duo format allows Margot to show just how spectacular her instrument really is, and how well these two work together. My two favorites on the disc are “Thou Swell” and “Day In, Day Out,” but there’s a pretty large range of material to choose from, including some great Bossa Nova playing on “Joyce (Viva O Rio De Janeiro),” the inspired scatting and thoughtful piano on Chick Corea’s “Eternal Child” or the lovely arrangement of Billy Strayhorn’s “Lush Life.” Put it all together, and you get an excellent glimpse of an outstanding vocalist and a tremendous pianist making some fantastic music together.