Return to form
| Return to form | ||||
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| Live album by Onaje Allan Gumbs | ||||
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Publication |
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| Label (s) | Half Note Records | |||
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Format (s) |
CD |
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Title (number) |
9 |
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running time |
01:04:08 |
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Studio (s) |
Blue Note, New York City |
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Return to Form: Live at the Blue Note is a jazz album by Onaje Allan Gumbs . The recordings, which were made in the Blue Note jazz club in New York in 2000 , were released on November 4, 2003 on Half Note Records .
background
At his concert at Blue Note, Gumbs played with Marcus McLaurine (double bass), Payton Crossley (drums), Gary Fritz (percussion) and on some pieces with saxophonist René McLean . It was Gumbs' fourth album under his own name after the album Dare to Dream , recorded in 1989 , which belongs to the genre of smooth jazz . In contrast, Gumbs played several original compositions and three other tracks in the postbop tradition, "Daydream" by Duke Ellington / Billy Strayhorn , "Equinox" by John Coltrane and "Dreamsville" by Henry Mancini .
The "return" to which the title alludes probably refers to the departure from pop jazz , which had been Gumbs' primary idiom almost two decades earlier, said John Chacona. With his work for Norman Connors and Woody Shaw he established his good reputation as a pianist influenced by Herbie Hancock , but then became musical director for singers such as Angela Bofill and Jeffrey Osborne . About ten years before the Blue Note recordings, he made a number of pop-jazz CDs.
Track list
- Onaje Allan Gumbs: Return to Form (Half Note Records HN 4915)
- First Time We Met 4:53
- Palace of the Seven Jewels 7:37
- Dreamsville ( Ray Evans , Jay Livingston , Henry Mancini ) 6:08
- Left Side of Right 6:50
- A Breath of Fresh Air 6:03
- So Nice 4:17
- Equinox ( John Coltrane ) 12:57
- Daydream (Duke Ellington, John Latouche , Billy Strayhorn ) 6:34
- Quiet Passion 8:48
- All other compositions are by Onaje Allan Gumbs.
reception
Ken Dryden gave the album 4½ (out of five) stars in Allmusic and said Onaje Allan Gumbs is a highly acclaimed pianist among his jazz colleagues, although it is surprising that this veteran has not been included as a leader more often. On this live set from the year 2000 from the Blue Note you can experience it "in great shape". Gumbs' innovative approach to John Coltrane's "Equinox" is wonderful, according to the author; “It is set to a Latin rhythm that replaces the bass vamp of“ A Love Supreme ”and at the same time quotes several other works by Coltrane in an exciting series.” In Dryden's opinion, his shimmering trio arrangements of “Daydream ", A beautiful ballad by Ellington and Strayhorn, and Mancini's" Dreamsville ". The intimate sound of this highly recommended CD gives “the feeling of having a table in the first row in the club”, sums up Ken Dryden.
John Chacona (One Final Note) expressed some reservations: “The Harlem-born pianist sounds like he hasn't left the other camp entirely. Not that there is anything wrong with that. The few pop-jazz albums of his that I had heard were always carefully crafted and in the best taste. But what has worked so well in a commercial language becomes an obligation when, alongside pleasant, decent gumbs originals like 'So Nice' and 'Quiet Passion', he serves meatier dishes like Coltrane's 'Equinox' and Billy Strayhorn's 'Daydream'. “Gumbs' interpretation of Coltrane and Strayhorn's music is probably the highlight of the CD, says Chacona, but elsewhere he seems to get into trouble playing fast runs with his right hand. Perhaps it was intended, the author says no, but there are any number of places Gumbs starts one of those long, thoroughbred single-note runs that have been the staple of straight-ahead solos since Bud Powell . Then it's like having his fingers tied and the notes crashing into each other like the wagons of a train that has gone off the tracks, but maybe that's just his style when he returns. In any case, it's not the effortless, flowing style that established Gumbs as the next best to Hancock thirty years ago. When he plays like this - and there is nothing to suggest he can't - the "return to form" is complete.
According to Steve Futterman, who reviewed the album in JazzTimes , Gumbs on Return to Form are "back in the jazz saddle" after years in other genres. In this crisp live session, Gumbs lead a close-knit trio, which is supported here and there by saxophonist René McLean and an inconspicuous percussionist. The time off the scene seems to have been a tonic for the pianist, says the author; he sounds consistently confident and focused. In a trio performance of Henry Mancini's "Dreamsville", Gumbs provided a McCoy-Tyner- like concept with deliciously relaxed phrasing , and a fast version of "Daydream" gave the Strayhorn classic zest for life. It is encouraging to hear "how a veteran is returning to the action", says Futterman, "which sounds more developed and involved than expected".
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Review of Ken Dryden's album at Allmusic (English). Retrieved April 8, 2020.
- ^ A b John Chacona: Onaje Allan Gumbs: Return to Form. One Final Note, January 13, 2004, accessed April 7, 2020 .
- ^ Onaje Allan Gumbs: Return to Form
- ^ Onaje Allan Gumbs: Return to Form. JazzTimes, June 1, 2004, accessed April 7, 2020 .