Year: 2006
Record Label: Southpaw Productions
Style: Straight-Ahead / Classic
Musicians: Bruce Jackson (drums), Bob Himmelberger (piano), Nicholas Bayak (bass)
Review: “Never… never give up.” This phrase from Winston Churchill appears to be the device of Bruce Jackson, a generous drummer. Jackson seems to know that it’s always great to listen to an album in which you can get to the jazz standards you love even more. His release Don’t Sleep On Your Dreams respects the auditory orthodox ways.
Jackson has been around for decades now and his eagerness to learn is well known. He has divvied up his time with Dick Sudhalter, Earle Warren, Peter Giron and Jim Repa among many others.
Don’t Sleep On Your Dreams opens with Wayne Shorter’s famous “Footprints”. Bob Himmelberger’s piano sluggishly breaks the tempo attended to by Nicholas Bayak’s sonorous bass. Jackson’s hit on the cymbals is soft and layed back.
“Iris/Pee Wee” ekes out two wonderful jazz standards (Wayne Shorter & Tony Williams), which are freehanded by Himmelberger’s craftsmanship albeit with the original cuddlesome tempo.
“Paris Eyes” (Larry Young) is one of the most beautiful glosses of this release. Jackson chose this song to pay homage to Caroline Volcovice’s legendary jazz club at Rue des Rosiers in Paris (7 Lézards). The theme sheers off a consistently pas de deux betwixt the piano and Jackson’s “vats”.
“Firewater” acquiesces Jackson to swap within a light touch, while an unaccompanied Himmelberger controls his chords with captivating melodic lines. Bayak’s solo is flabbecuddle-somergasted.
“Rhythm-A-Ning” (Thelonius Monk) swings like hell. This is where audiophiles will hear the perfect orchestration of this trio. But overall, to address Jackson, in which he blasts his drums and the well grounded gloss, he is able to extract from one cymbal!
Bruce Jackson’s release is definitely the essential CD to have if one wants to build a jazz music library.
Tracks: Footprints, Firewater, Rhythm-A-Ning, Iris/ Pee Wee, Paris Eyes, Never Let Me Go, Picadilly Lilly, My Ship
Reviewed by:
Dr. Ana Isabel Ordonez
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