Year: 2007
Record Label: Sound Brush Records
Style: Straight-Ahead / Classic
Musicians: David Finck (bass), Joe Locke (vibes), Tom Ranier (piano), Joe La Barbera (drums), Jeremy Pelt (trumpet), Bob Sheppard (tenor sax)
Review: Bassist David Finck has worked and recorded with the best of jazz and pop/R&B artists including Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, Al Jarreau, Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Rosemary Clooney, Elton John, Rod Stewart, and George Michael, to list just a few. A student of several bassists from the Philadelphia Orchestra as well as the Eastman School of Music, Finck’s discography lists over 100 recordings. These days, in addition to playing bass, he lives and works in New York as a producer, arranger, songwriter and author of articles in the Village Voice, among other publications.
For Future Day, Finck’s first recording as a leader, he’s assembled some of the most consistently rock-solid, musically dependable and harmonically astute jazz musicians of the day. Playing a 12 tune set of hip and swinging tunes, only two of which were composed by Finck, the quartet, along with two guests, obviously enjoy the sport of playing and making music as a team.
The best original Finck piece is “New Valley.” The medium tempo swirling arpeggio-oriented melody serves as a perfect launching pad for a series of tastefully crafted solos. Tom Ranier’s piano solo begins by inverting the melody’s motivic structure before morphing into a series of two-note grouped pairs. Finck takes the paired note idea and expands it into four note sequences that eventually expand into longer lines. As if by predetermined thought vibraphonist Joe Locke’s vibraphone solo begins with the longer lines from Finck and expands on them in both length and harmonic complexity. The seamless character of how each solo dovetails and builds onto the previous one is perhaps the best example one can provide of the how perfectly sly and intellectually witty the musical conversations are through the entire disc.
For casual listeners of jazz the fact there are no extended solos anywhere on the disc is a plus. Each soloist gets to the heart of what they have to say in a well-defined and extremely harmonious manner before giving way to another soloist. The musicians not only don’t try your patience, they are succinct and masterful in the way that only seasoned veterans can be.
Guest soloists Jeremy Pelt, trumpet, and tenor saxophonist Bob Sheppard are added with great flourish on “Four Flags” and Finck’s other piece, “Look At You.” Their added horn lines bring a welcome sonic change to the rhythm section only sound of much of the disc.
While there is nothing over-the-top spectacular about this recording, there is also nothing wrong with it either. A group of seasoned veterans getting together to enjoy each other’s musical company should be celebrated at every opportunity. Thankfully these guys do so with panache and elegance.
Tracks: I Know, New Valley, Nature Boy, Four Flags, Ballad For A Future Day, Black Eyes, Look At You, For All We Know, If Not For You, Appointment In Orvieto, Transparency and Firm Roots
Record Label Website: http://www.soundbrush.com/
Artist's Website: http://www.davidfinck.net/
Reviewed by:
Thomas R. Erdmann
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