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

Nick Hempton & Cory Weeds – Horns Locked (Cellar Music)

New York City tenor saxophonist Nick Hempton recorded with fellow woodwind specialist Cory Weeds the last time he was in Vancouver, and Horns Locked is the result. A tip of the hat to a few of the great tenor players, like James Moody and Dexter Gordon, and a few of the great tenor pairings, like Gene Ammons & Sonny Stitt, and Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis & Johnny Griffin. I knew things would be solid when the first sounds from the CD are organist Nick Peck and drummer Jesse Cahill chugging along furiously to set up “Last Train from Overbrook.” Dexter Gordon gets some love with a great version of his “Soy Califa,” and Ammons & Stitt are remembered fondly on “The One Before This.” Hempton’s originals, “Change for a Dollar” and “Loose Ends” are also fantastically swinging. Who knew that this much grit, grime and grease could produce such good, clean fun? We need more albums like Horns Locked in the world.

Mafalda Minnozzi – Riofonic (MPI)

Here’s something I don’t see crossing my desk every day…an Italian singer, singing flawless Portuguese and English on a Bossa Nova record with a legendary Samba singer (Roberto Menescal) sitting in on a handful of tracks. Mafalda Minnozzi not only pulled that off on her new album Riofonic, but she made it sound so effortless that it sounds…well, exactly like a classic Bossa Nova album should. She certainly picked a bunch of the right songs; “Corcovado,” “So Danço Samba,” “O Barquinho,” “The Gentle Rain,” “The Girl from Ipanema” and “Agua de Beber” are all undeniable classics. Minnozzi sings them all with charm and grace, and Riofonic is a genuinely adorable album.

Nanami Haruta – The Vibe (Origin)

In a word, wow. Trombonist Nanami Haruta wastes no time in knocking one right out of the park with her debut album, The Vibe. Mentored by Michael Dease out of Michigan State University, he joins her on the album, on trombone and bari sax. The rhythm section on The Vibe is enviable, featuring Xavier Davis on piano, Rodney Whitaker on bass and Ulysses Owens, Jr behind the drums. Haruta’s a talented composer as well, contributing two lovely ballads (“Toshi” and “Heartstrings”) and a fun mid-tempo swinger (“Woodpecker”). Songs written by Curtis Fuller (“Algonquin”) and Christian McBride (“Sister Rosa”) are played very well here, too. If this is Nanami Haruta’s debut, I can’t wait to hear what she does next.