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

The Greg Abate Quartet – In the Moment (Summit Records)

Saxophonist Greg Abate outdid himself for his new album, In the Moment. He put together a rock-solid quartet with Bill O’Connell on piano, Harvie S on bass and Steve Johns on drums. They’re a hard-swinging unit, and their enthusiasm is evident throughout these nine tracks. “The Little Men” and “Kerry’s Song” are two sambas that stand out and really make the album pop. “In the Moment” is the disc’s ballad, and it is lovely. That leaves the rest of this album to swing and swing hard. “Realization,” “Black Sea” and “All or Nothin’” are highlights, but really, this whole album is just fun to listen to. Which also means it will be fun to play for you, too.

Magnetic Mirror – Magnetic Mirror (Self-Produced)

I suppose I’ve been mistaken in saying that saxophonist Braden Smith has been leading a band at French 75 in Aurora for years now. Rather, the band Magnetic Mirror, has been playing there for years, and their maturity and cohesiveness as a band shows from the first notes of the album. Joined by Erik Skov on guitar, Wesley Morgan on bass and Matt Plaskota on drums, this quartet is tight. Comprised of three songs by Smith, three songs by Skov and one by Morgan, Magnetic Mirror the band has come up with an admirable collection of songs for Magnetic Mirror the album. Braden Smith’s compositions “Pathfinder” and “Ezra’s Epiphany” both hint at the Mark Turner/Kurt Rosenwinkel collaborations of the early 2000s. Skov’s “In Your Eyes” is a pretty ballad, while both “Pendulum” and “A Chance to Hold the Light” are intriguing songs that kept my attention throughout their runtimes. Something tells me that the set ending “Last Word” will make an appearance on an upcoming edition of Notes from the Jazz Underground. That’s all to say that there’s an awful lot to enjoy while taking a peek into this Magnetic Mirror.

Tommy Muellner – Solitary Moon (Calligram Records)

Chicago pianist Tommy Muellner has just released a new album on Calligram records, Solitary Moon. Backed by a band befitting his talents, he sounds great here. Bassist Clark Sommers and drummer Phil Gratteau round out the rhythm, and they’re aided and abetted by Geof Bradfield’s tenor sax and Art Davis’ trumpet and flugelhorn. Throughout the course of the fifteen songs recorded here, we get a few of Muellner’s original compositions, standards like Jule Styne’s “Make Someone Happy” and Jimmy Van Heusen’s “Like Someone in Love,” and some more modern choices, like Steve Kuhn’s “Oceans in the Sky” and Russ Freeman’s “The Wind.” Everyone’s playing here is tasteful and in the pocket, and this album goes down smoothly. I’m glad that WDCB will get to share this one with the world.