By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Tell Your Story
Saxophonist/composer Adam
Rongo heads up a wonderfully swinging unit here: a group that brings back fond
memories of the best bands that graced us when jazz truly was king. The
basic unit is a sax/trombone/piano/bass/drum quintet, but eight guest artists
are sprinkled throughout this album’s 11 track menu; as a result, the average
combo size is closer to a septet.
None of these players is
well known ... yet. They’re mostly in their 20s and 30s and, although still
under the radar at the moment, are well on the way to future stardom.
The core quintet features
Rongo (sax), Michael Dease (trombone), Emmet Cohen (piano), Rodney Whitaker
(bass) and Ulysses Owens Jr. (drums). Guitarist Randy Napoleon,
vibraphonist Behn Gillece and baritone saxman Tony Lustig expand the
instrumentalists; additionally, Anthony Stanco (trumpet), Tim Mayer (tenor
sax), Miki Hayama (piano) and Evan Sherman (drums) sit in on some tracks.
Three old standards — “Stardust,” “You Don’t Know What Love Is”
and “Your Mine, You” — are given lovely, up-to-date treatments. The
rest of the tunes, written by members of the band and Johnny Green, Johnny
Griffin and Jimmy Heath, are up-tempo swingers that bring the party to
life. My favorite is a roaring rendition of Griffin’s “Fifty-Six”; if it doesn’t
get you movin’ and groovin’, nothing will.
This is the kind of stuff
that used to move the audience off the dance floor, to gather around the band!
Great musicians and great
arrangements: a wonderful release.
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