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

Ben Paterson Trio – Live at the Jazz Showcase (self-produced)

The Ben Paterson Organ Trio has been playing together on Thursday nights for quite some time at this point, so it should come as no shock that Live at the Jazz Showcase is as tight and swinging as can be. This trio of heavyweights – Bobby Broom is the guitarist and Greg Artry is the drummer – just tears up everything in front of them, from the burning “Brickyard” to the simmering majesty of “Soultrane” and “And I Love Her.”   They find an interesting middle ground between funk and swing on Bird’s “Yardbird Suite,” while “Eleanor Rigby” and “Take the Coltrane” stoke the flames that Paterson, Broom and Artry are cooking with. Live at the Jazz Showcase is exactly what I’d expect from three world-class players getting down for a hometown crowd.

Sam Pilnick’s Nonet Projet – The Project (self-produced)

Saxophonist, arranger and composer Sam Pilnick went and assembled a very nice nonet for his latest album, simply titled The Project. Pilnick composed four of the six songs here, and arranged all of them. The outliers are John Mayer’s “Neon” and the Thelonious Monk classic, “Pannonica.” Like Miles Davis’ Birth of the Cool nonet, the arranging here can make the band sound larger than its nine pieces. Unlike that Birth of the Cool band, the soloists can all stretch out, so we hear some marvelous solos from trombonist Andrew Meyer and trumpeter Emily Kuhn on “60657.” “Southbound Trail” makes its way through a number of different styles throughout its seven plus minutes, with hints of Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage” a nice Bossa Nova groove and a swinging section that keeps the foot tapping. “Life Is” is a journey, I suppose just as life is. The aforementioned “Pannonica” features some nice ensemble writing, as well as a nice solo from Pilnick’s tenor saxophone. “Fight Club is a Bad Movie” is a novel title for a strong mid-tempo swinger that closes out the album on a strong note. Let’s hope that Sam Pilnick’s Nonet Project sticks around and makes some more music. The Project is certainly a fantastic starting point, that’s for sure.

Anthony Stanco – In the Groove (OA2 Records)

Trumpeter Anthony Stanco assembled a band of A-listers for a couple of live gigs that he recorded in January of 2025. The Alluvion in Traverse City, Michigan was the venue, and the band featured Randy Napoleon on guitar, Xavier Davis on piano, John Webber on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums. Six of the nine songs on the album were composed by Stanco, and if this album is any indication, he’s got a knack for a catchy tune. “Riptide,” for example, is a bright swinger with a hummable melody. “Pyramid Point” is a lovely ballad with some fine intertwining lines between the trumpet and guitar. “In the Groove” is a mid-60’s Blue Note boogaloo that Lee Morgan would have been proud of. There are plenty of fantastic moments throughout the album that are In the Groove, and I think DCB Jazz listeners are going to like what they hear.