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The Trio: Live at Charlie O’s (Fuzzy Music)

Written by Glenn A. Mitchell

Live at Charlie O's

Recorded in January 2009, this excellent trio CD was put together by longtime great bassist Chuck Berghofer. A “live” recording can almost always bring out the best of jazz music. Terry Trotter (piano) and Peter Erskine (drums) make up the complete trio. All three have had many accomplishments in the music business and have been “first call” players for several decades. Trotter is heard as the pianist on the TV show Everyone Loves Raymond with its jazz theme throughout the series. Berghofer has numerous credits with Frank Sinatra, Frank Capp Juggernaut Big Band and his own Midnight Jazz band, just to name a few. Grammy winner Peter Erskine is a well-known bandleader and sideman in constant demand; the CD is issued under his Fuzzy Music label.

The numbers are a fine cross-section of bluesy jazz, delightful standards and graceful ballads. “Put Your Little Foot” starts the CD and is from a classical Beethoven melody (if my classical memory serves me well). It has all the blending of swinging bass and piano backed up with tasteful drumming from Erskine. Berghofer produces his well-known walking bass lines and excellent intonation on his upright bass. Trotter gives many of his neatly played piano lines with brilliant chordal voicings. “An Afternoon in Paris” shows off solos from Berghofer and Erskine, sharing 8-bar, other timed measured breaks. Two eloquent standards, “Ghost of a Chance” and “How Deep Is the Ocean,” play beautifully and capture serene moments plus perfecting some swing in the latter number. A bluesy concoction, “Charlie’s Blues,” was an original, I have to assume composed by Trotter and trio, dedicated to the late Charlie Ottaviano, who also loved the upright bass and played it sometimes. The gorgeous jazz classic “Lament” closes the CD with its memorable melody.

Writer and critic, Don Heckman, noted in brief liner notes, “…pianist Terry Trotter, bassist Chuck Berghofer and drummer Peter Erskine performing without rehearsal, depend entirely upon the long experience and extraordinary talent that this trio of veteran artists brings to everything they play.” Definitely recommended. See www.fuzzymusic.com to purchase.

Reprinted with permission from February 2010 LA Jazz Scene.

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"A Quiet Time" With Ahmad Jamal (2009, Dreyfus)

Written by Andrea Canter, Contributing Editor

He's nearly 80 now and Ahmad Jamal shows no signs of slowing down, either in live performance or recorded output. Following up his 2008 gem It's Magic, Jamal again finds magic with long-time cohorts bassist James Cammack and percussionist Manolo Badrena and first-time associate, veteran drummer Kenny Washington. With 9 original compositions from the past decade, an incomparable reading of I Hear a Rhapsody, and a colorful cover of Randy Weston's "Hi-Fly," the title A Quiet Time should not be presumed to refer to a downturn in either the pianist's attitude or altitude, but rather to the relaxed feel of the collaboration. This is a less spacious, more active Jamal than his early style, yet space is still a commodity that he treats with respect, his touch on the piano often akin to delicately stroking a cat yet never lacking self assurance.

The title track offers a microcosm of the full recording. A rather ominous vamp marks the beginning before falling into a relaxed but never complacent rhythm, Jamal maintaining some tension and surprise with unexpected pauses, lacey trills and runs, little touches of samba in his chords patterns, and dramatic changes in tempo. Cammack providing both rhythmic and melodic counterpoint. The bassist's bouncing lines also contrast beautifully with Jamal's hesitant grace and trilling fills on "The Love Is Lost." "Poetry" has some serious hesitations in its opening rhythms and finds Jamal traversing the full keyboard with deep swells and gentle recessions, dark bass lines, Washington adding filigree tingles on the cymbals and snare. "My Inspiration" is filled with sweet melodic lines and lush arpeggios, a study in subtle dynamic shifts and Jamal's trademark, slightly delayed final note that comes as well planned after-thought. "Tranquility" is anything but, Cammack setting a dark but brisk pace while Jamal swings with a mild-mannered ferocity, interspersing delicately assertive runs with emphatic chord clusters.

Of the two covers, "Hi Fly" starts with drum and percussion front and center, Washington providing variants of press roll accents while Cammack teases with bold phrases. But the master of surprise and energy is Jamal, making even the final vamp passage as artful as a classic melody. This version of "I Hear a Rhapsody" is possibly the most exquisite rendition ever recorded, luxuriously building toward the theme and then gently blossoming in layers of chords and majestic phrases, buoyed by Cammack's rich and forthright basslines.

Badrena's percussion arsenal washes much of the recording in tropical rhythms, making one ask if the opening "Paris After Dark" is actually twilight in Rio. So, too, "Flight to Russia" suggests a more southbound journey. Kenny Washington is simply elegant throughout, particularly on his deep mallet beats on the bass tom--particularly listen to is work on the gorgeous "The Blooming Flower."

Like fine wine and classic jazz, Ahmad Jamal seems to only improve with age.

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