By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Back to the Bridge
Dan Adler hails from Israel, where he obtained degrees in computer science and electrical engineering. He then worked for an Israeli division of Motorola for two years before relocating to System Design Labs in New York City.
His interest in music began when, in the fourth grade and after two years of failed piano lessons, his mother bought him a guitar and signed him up for lessons. That instrument took; by high school he was playing in Israeli jazz groups. Not long after his arrival in the Big Apple, he became part of the large contingent of jazz musicians from Israel who live there.
This album also features two well-known artists: organist Joey DeFrancesco and drummer Byron Landham. These two have worked together for years, and it shows. DeFrancesco is a master of the B3 Hammond: a difficult instrument to play without overwhelming all other instrumentalists in a given group. He’s superb at controlling tonal selections and volume. Landham fits in marvelously, and this duo lays down a grooving beat.
Although still relatively unknown outside the music society, Adler’s style is perfect for this trio. He wrote three of the tunes presented; the others are covers of some great standards, including “Oh Look At Me Now,” “Joy Spring,” “A Beautiful Friendship,” “I’ve Never Been In Love Before” and Oscar Peterson’s “The Smudge.”
Buy this abum: You won’t be able to keep your feet from tapping, or your fingers from snapping.
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