What's New on WDCB... with Paul Abella
Tyreek McDole – Open Up Your Senses (Artwork Records)
Vocalist Tyreek McDole is in the rare club of young singers to have won the Sarah Vaughan vocal competition. Once you hear his voice, you’ll understand why. On his debut album, Open Up Your Senses, he shows off that voice and his control over it on a collection of standards, Jazz classics and originals that recalls vocalists as disparate as Johnny Hartman, Leon Thomas and Al Jarreau, for starters. Thelonious Monk’s “Ugly Beauty,” as done in a beautiful duet with Kenny Barron, is gorgeous. McDole leans into the deepness of his voice, and the Johnny Hartman influence becomes crystal clear. On “The Backward Step” and, naturally, “The Creator Has a Master Plan,” The Leon Thomas influence is felt deeply. However, on Leon Thomas’ “The Sun Song,” the playful groove and uplifting message hint at what Al Jarreau might have done surrounded by more acoustic instruments in a different time. This is all to say that not only is McDole one seriously talented vocalist, he’s also willing to spread his wings and try a few different approaches to this great music we call Jazz.
Alan Broadbent – Threads of Time (Savant)
Pianist Alan Broadbent put together a band for the ages on his latest album, Threads of Time. Featuring trumpeter Scott Wendholt, saxophonist Sam Dillon, trombonist Eric Miller, bassist Harvie S and drummer Lucas Ebeling, this band sounds big and tight. Broadbent composed eight pieces for this sextet, and they were clearly up to the challenge. On more laid back songs like “Covenant” or “Prelude to Peace,” everything is relaxed, the solos are well-paced and everything is pretty. But, give these guys a chance to cut loose, like on “Clifford Notes,” and oh my, are they up to the challenge. “This One’s for Bud” is a nice Be-Bop exercise, and “Sonny’s Skip,” clearly written for Sonny Clark, is a solid modern interpretation of 50’s Blue Note gold. Stitching all of these threads of time together was probably no easy feat, but I’m glad Alan Broadbent did it. The final product is a gorgeous piece of cloth, indeed
Joe Farnsworth – The Big Room (Smoke Sessions)
Art Blakey and Roy Haynes were both famous for surrounding themselves with young, vibrant and brilliant musicians that kept them on their toes. Joe Farnsworth seems to be following in their footsteps on his latest, The Big Room. Outside of trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, this is a group of relatively young players still making their marks on the world. Saxophonist Sarah Hanahan, vibraphonist Joel Ross, pianist Emmet Cohen and bassist Yasushi Nakamura all sound great here, inspiring Farnsworth and each other. Hanahan’s “Continuance” is a heck of a way to start off the album, burning from the first note, with furious solos from Pelt, Ross, Cohen, Farnsworth, and Hanahan, too. Chicagoan Joel Ross contributed “What am I Waiting For?” a pensive ballad that gives everyone the chance to make some truly beautiful statements, and “Radical,” which feels like it was influenced by the 1960’s Miles Davis Quintet. Jeremy Pelt takes the reins for the sole standard on the session, “I Fall in Love Too Easily,” and it is pretty. Emmet Cohen’s “You Already Know” is another example that this group can tear it up at the drop of a hat. But you already knew that.
