Album Reviews: Neighbors
|
Left to right-TOP: Phil Markowitz, Bill Goodwin, and Steve Gilmore. BOTTOM: Nancy Reed and David Liebman.
|
David Liebman comments:
Neighbors … a user-friendly word that everyone knows as a fact of life. Certainly one hopes for "good" neighbors, meaning no problems. In the case of the musicians on this recording, there's a little more to the meaning.
For a variety of reasons that occurred decades ago, the area of Northeast Pennsylvania where we live, collectively known as the Pocono Mountains, has and still is blessed with an abundance of jazz musicians, both internationally and locally known. Chief of course are Phil Woods, Bob Dorough, and Urbie Green, but with teachers and students as well as the venerable club, the Deer Head Inn, we are blessed with a lot of musicians in our proverbial "backyard."
Nancy Reed and her husband Spencer have been fixtures on the scene for decades. Everyone knows Nancy for her incredibly relaxed singing style and impeccable phrasing.
When someone like Phil Markowitz remarks that he doesn't have to be overly concerned with "voice leading" (piano/ singer talk) because Nancy is so on the game, this is a big compliment. "Neighbors" was my idea to get Nancy front and center with my man Phil and Phil Woods' long time drum/bass team of Bill Goodwin and Steve Gilmore, two of the most experienced jazz players in the world.
Furthermore, everyone from my generation knows the Coltrane–Johnny Hartmann collaboration from the 1960s. First of all is Hartmann's deep, silky smooth voice coming out of the Billy Eckstine influence. On top of that is how gentle and lyrical the Coltrane Quartet played on this recording, how different an approach for a group so identified with furiously intense music and a deeply chromatic harmonic language. This is a jewel in the crown of Trane, something you could play for your grandmother which I always wanted to replicate somehow, especially using the soprano sax with the female voice.
Nancy and I carefully arranged the material, not to be too well worn, but somewhat familiar. Some highlights: "Love Thy Neighbor" is a little known tune that Trane recorded early on in his be-bop stage; "You Must Believe in Spring" has for me the deepest lyrics (prose actually) that I know expressing so much, so well; "The Peacocks" is well known among jazz folks as a fiendishly difficult and memorable tune by Jimmy Rowles; another highlight for me is what I consider to be one of the greatest and most challenging harmonic compositions ever written, Jobim's "Sabia" which we play straight-ahead, instead of the usual bossa feel.
I will be honest. I love this record; I love Nancy's singing, the way the band played and for me somehow I was able to maintain the lyrical texture throughout. Thanks to the guys; to Kent Heckman for recording and giving us a good credit rating for so long; to our collective friend Bud Nealy for the photo; to Marty Mellinger for a great mixing session; and most of all to (SIR!!) Richard Burton for getting this music out to the world.
You can tell that the "neighbors" had a nice day together.
David Liebman Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., June, 2011
For a variety of reasons that occurred decades ago, the area of Northeast Pennsylvania where we live, collectively known as the Pocono Mountains, has and still is blessed with an abundance of jazz musicians, both internationally and locally known. Chief of course are Phil Woods, Bob Dorough, and Urbie Green, but with teachers and students as well as the venerable club, the Deer Head Inn, we are blessed with a lot of musicians in our proverbial "backyard."
Nancy Reed and her husband Spencer have been fixtures on the scene for decades. Everyone knows Nancy for her incredibly relaxed singing style and impeccable phrasing.
When someone like Phil Markowitz remarks that he doesn't have to be overly concerned with "voice leading" (piano/ singer talk) because Nancy is so on the game, this is a big compliment. "Neighbors" was my idea to get Nancy front and center with my man Phil and Phil Woods' long time drum/bass team of Bill Goodwin and Steve Gilmore, two of the most experienced jazz players in the world.
Furthermore, everyone from my generation knows the Coltrane–Johnny Hartmann collaboration from the 1960s. First of all is Hartmann's deep, silky smooth voice coming out of the Billy Eckstine influence. On top of that is how gentle and lyrical the Coltrane Quartet played on this recording, how different an approach for a group so identified with furiously intense music and a deeply chromatic harmonic language. This is a jewel in the crown of Trane, something you could play for your grandmother which I always wanted to replicate somehow, especially using the soprano sax with the female voice.
Nancy and I carefully arranged the material, not to be too well worn, but somewhat familiar. Some highlights: "Love Thy Neighbor" is a little known tune that Trane recorded early on in his be-bop stage; "You Must Believe in Spring" has for me the deepest lyrics (prose actually) that I know expressing so much, so well; "The Peacocks" is well known among jazz folks as a fiendishly difficult and memorable tune by Jimmy Rowles; another highlight for me is what I consider to be one of the greatest and most challenging harmonic compositions ever written, Jobim's "Sabia" which we play straight-ahead, instead of the usual bossa feel.
I will be honest. I love this record; I love Nancy's singing, the way the band played and for me somehow I was able to maintain the lyrical texture throughout. Thanks to the guys; to Kent Heckman for recording and giving us a good credit rating for so long; to our collective friend Bud Nealy for the photo; to Marty Mellinger for a great mixing session; and most of all to (SIR!!) Richard Burton for getting this music out to the world.
You can tell that the "neighbors" had a nice day together.
David Liebman Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., June, 2011