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

Jimmy Greene – As We Are Now (Greene Music Works)

Saxophonist Jimmy Greene has recently released a new album called As We Are Now with an impressive cast of players to back him up. Aaron Goldberg (Piano), Dezron Douglas (Bass) and Jonathan Barber (Drums) are the rhythm section heard throughout the album, but there’s space for a few guest artists to make appearances, too. From the first notes of “Praises,” it feels like we’ve stepped into a sanctified space with the help of Shedrick Mitchell’s B-3 organ. Greene doesn’t hold back during his solo, and it only adds to the gospel-tinged vibe. “Impatient” sounds like Greene was listening to lots of mid-60’s Wayne Shorter when he wrote it. “Anhelando,” at different points, spends time as a ballad and at others, as a slow but effective samba. It’s truly interesting. As much of this album is. There’s a lot to like on As We Are Now, and I look forward to playing it for you on WDCB!

Eric Alexander & Vincent Herring – Split Decision (Smoke Sessions)

If you’re a record producer looking for an easy slam dunk for a modern Jazz record, getting Vincent Herring, Eric Alexander and Mike LeDonne on the same album is certainly a fantastic starting point. Add John Webber on bass and Lewis Nash on drums, and now you’ve got a band that’s quite nearly unstoppable. On Split Decision, this nearly unstoppable band proves to be a mighty force, indeed. Wasting no time getting started on “Pharoah’s Dance,” this band gets to work and quick, proving that everyone on the bandstand is capable of swinging hard, which they do throughout the six selections heard here. Even the ballad on the set, “My Romance,” gets into a finger snapping groove that is too delicious to ignore. Add in a couple of Hank Mobley gems (“Soft Impressions” and “A Pec a Sec”) and Horace Silver’s “Strollin’,” and you’ve got yourself a slam dunk, indeed.

Josh Lawrence – Still We Dream (Posi-Tone Records)

Thelonious Monk and Frederic Chopin don’t necessarily sound like they would make fantastic bedfellows, but on Josh Lawrence’s latest album, Still We Dream, he makes the improbable happen. Lawrence’s trumpet shines brightly throughout the album, buoyed not only by some fantastic arranging, but also by an always solid Posi-Tone supporting cast, including saxophonist Diego Rivera, pianist Art Hirahara, bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Rudy Royston. There are a handful of non-Monk or Chopin songs on Still We Dream, including the opener, the Abbey Lincoln classic, “Long as You’re Living,” a lovely, and low-key take on “Pure Imagination,” and traditional songs from Poland (“Kradoudja”) and the United States (“America”). Lawrence really cuts loose on “Trinkle, Tinkle,” and the band is clearly having fun on that one. Rudy Royston tries out some quirky and effective ideas behind the drums on “Light Blue” and “Evidence,” and that makes those songs really jump out in ways that a lot of Monk arrangements just don’t. Of the Chopin pieces, “Op. 29: Impromptu No. 1” makes quite the impression, as these guys really took the name of the song to heart, changing the groove multiple times, and never really settling in one space. It’s a genuinely enjoyable listen. Even if you don’t know “Op. 35: Funeral March from Piano Sonata No. 2” by name, you know the main theme, and the way this one unfolds is truly a treat worth sticking around for. Still We Dream is an interesting idea for an album, and an album idea executed quite well.