 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
||||||
 |
McVouty Records - MCVCD109 |
|||||||
|
Jay Thomas (trumpet, flugelhorn & tenor sax); John Hansen (piano); Chuck Bergeron (bass); Jon Wikan (drums) Recorded live at Tula's Jazz Club (Seattle, WA) |
|||||||
|
“Jay plays with so Much romanticism, a kind of joy....
and he just swings out this most satisfying, live recording by one
of our top resident musicians.” “His resourceful, jauntily swing and exciting fervor
inbues all eight tunes... Thomas plays with blazing intensity, depth
and imagination.” “Joy and vibrancy mark the playing of trumpet and flugelhorn
player Thomas and he’s in good form for this quartet date.” |
||||||||
|
* * * * * By Chris Lunn, Victory Music Review Thomas is a top lyrical, highly romantic interpreter
in modern jazz on trumpet, flugelhorn and tenor sax. These sides were recorded
live at Tula’s in Seattle. Thomas opens on horn with Lee Morgan’s
“Boy What A Night” with a warm, soft tone, and note structure that
reminds one of the Chet Baker-Russ Freeman days. This long piece gives room
for John Hansen, another lyrical player and great worker of space between notes
to explore his piano. Tempos change and build with Jon Wikan on drums plus Chuck
Bergeron on bass who works both Seattle and New York jazz scenes. “But
Not For Me” starts out as a light joyous dash, with quiet lyrical trumpet
head, and builds with tight notes and bursts over the upbeat rhythm. “Sophisticated
Lady” is taken in as a very slow ballad with lush tenor squeezing beauty
from each line and Hansen’s solo is wonderful in chord and space work.
“Wendy” is a Paul Desmond composition that gets 10 ½ minutes
exploration, beginning with trumpet flowing in a light lilt. Bergeron’s
bass voice rumbles and drives a lovely solo on Eddie Harris’s “7/4
blues” with a stabbing horn and piano moving the head and solos. “Wee
Dot” is a swinging JJ Johnson tune with the trumpet in clean simple angular
lines, warm clusters, with good attention to space and light fiery moods. Jay
plays with so much romanticism, a kind of light joy and he chooses songs like
“Swonderful” taken in a quiet mid tempo swing that Jay just talks,
with loving curls around. “Soon” just swings out this most satisfying,
live recording by one of our top resident musicians. By Dr. Herb Wong, IAJE Jazz Perspective - September 1999 Anyone familiar with Jay Thomas' trumpet and saxophone artistry is aware of
his long stretch of dominating excellence in the Northwest United States. Attesting
to his engaging horn work is this "live" date at Tula's, a Seattle,
Washington club. His resourceful, jauntily swing and exciting fervor imbues
all eight tunes which include three from Gershwin's song pool and one each from
Duke Ellington, Lee Morgan, Eddie Harris, Paul Desmond and J.J. Johnson, and
range idiomatically from swing and bebop to some departures beyond. We are rewarded
with an uncompromising Jay Thomas who plays trumpet, flugelhorn and tenor sax
on the date and is joined by a persuasive rhythm section of John Hansen, Chuck
Bergeron and Jon Wikan who shine and mesh smoothly with Thomas. The literature
he has selected to play reflects his firm grab on the history of the music.
Aside from the connective threads of the song material, Thomas plays with blazing
intensity, depth and imagination. By Lois Moody, Hofacres’ Jazz News Joy and vibrancy mark the playing of trumpet and
flugelhorn player Thomas and he’s in good form for this quartet date in
a Seattle jazz club. Rounding out the group are John Hansen (p), Chuck Bergeron
(b), and Jon Wikan (d), all but Bergeron being frequent Thomas colleagues over
the past decade. * * * * * By Robert Spencer, Cadence Magazine - February 1999 A sax/brass double is exceedingly tricky, as the cup and the reed
require such different approaches. Joe McPhee manages this double
superbly; Ornette Coleman is notorious for it. And here comes Jay
Thomas, who demonstrated a splendid feel for Latin Jazz with the
group Sonando. Here he shows off his letter-perfect ability in the
straight-ahead jazz preferred by most jazz clubs these days. Thomas
plays brass mostly, sounding very much like Lee Morgan on Morgan’s
“Boy What a Night” and again, but less so, on Eddie Harris’
“7/4 Blues”. On other tracks he sounds more subdued than
Morgan, although still lively: most of these numbers are marched
through briskly, even Gershwin’s “Swonderful”. Switching
to tenor sax for “Sophisticated Lady” Thomas doesn’t
attempt anything spectacular but plays more than competently, with
a buttery tone reminiscent of Zoot and Al. John Hansen is a Bill
Evans/Red Garland type: he solos with a clear sense of continuity
and design. Wikan and Bergeron are noble souls who provide a firm
foundation without intrusive pyrotechnics. If I had been at Tula’s
on the two nights of this recording I would have found a thoroughly
skillful band, not interested in taking chances or staking out new
artistic territory, but only in doing their job of entertaining,
and doing it well. |
||||||||
