1. Old Devil Moon
2. They Can't Take That Away From Me
3. Song For My Father
4. My One and Only Love
5. Change Partners
6. Strollin'
7. Sweet Hunk o' Trash
8. Jubilation
9. Strike Up the Band
10. Caravan
11. We'll Be Together Again
Warren Vaché - Cornet, vocals
John Allred - Trombone
Tardo Hammer - Piano
Nicki Parrott - Bass, vocals
Leroy Williams - Drums.
I was unhappy with Warren Vaché's behaviour at a jazz festival
two years ago, when I watched him accompanying singer Annie Ross, and
Warren was smoking a cigarette on stage only a few feet away from her.
However much I deplore his manners, I can't fault Warren's playing on
this CD, recorded in December 2007 at a jazz club in Switzerland. Vaché
was teamed with trombonist John Allred and they harmonise seamlessly
together, as well as both playing estimable solos. Warren says of John
Allred: "There are times when he even matches my vibrato at the
end of a note".
They Can't Take That Away From Me is rendered special by delicate touches
- like Warren's rising notes at the end of phrases - and by his solo,
which is accompanied only by bassist Nicki Parrott - who is a really
listening musician. Horace Silver's composition Song For My Father keeps
moving along nicely with help from the strong rhythm section. John Allred's
solo here is a display of almost unbelievable facility on the trombone,
and Tardo Hammer's solo has a Silver sheen.
The two front-line men - Vaché and Allred - get their own features
on My One and Only Love and Change Partners respectively - the latter
taken at an unusual bossa nova tempo. Strollin' is another Horace Silver
tune (not, as you might have thought, the Flanagan & Allen hit)
- an easy jaunt which suits the soloists' fertile invention. Sweet Hunk
o' Trash has cheeky singing from Nicki Parrott, with spoken interpolations
from Warren Vaché, after which they swap vocal roles. There is
a beboppish tinge to Warren's cornet solo here and in the following
Jubilation (written by Junior Mance), where Allred's trombone is again
noteworthy.
Strike Up the Band returns us to mainstream swing, with Vaché
reminding the listener of Ruby Braff (although his tone is generally
lower than Ruby's). Pianist Tardo Hammer appears slightly uncomfortable
with the fast tempo but drummer Leroy Williams sounds relaxed in his
solo. The two hornmen then play contrapuntally, unaccompanied. Caravan
is taken at an unconventionally slow tempo, but this avoids the tune
sounding hurried - as it often does. Williams again takes a laid-back
solo - this time on the tomtoms. A leisurely We'll be Together Again
makes a suitable closer, although Vaché's vocals (however brief)
are mediocre.
This is not a particularly outstanding album but it is very acceptable
nonetheless.
Tony Augarde
CD Reviews
Arbors
Jazz ARCD 19369
