By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Souvenir
When
we left Los Angeles for to Portland, Oregon, more than 30 years ago, my only
concern was missing the excitement and variety of the jazz Mecca that runs from
Southern California to San Francisco. I shouldn’t have worried.
I’ve
yet to find a big band outfit here, but Portland does offer jazz-oriented clubs
and, surprisingly, enough fans to keep combos busy with public and private gigs
for “special occasions.” I’m also delighted by the considerable jazz interest
in the local public schools, some of which include combos and orchestras as
part of their music curriculum.
This
album features one of the many jazz groups that make the Pacific Northwest
their home: a trio consisting of Matt Tabor (piano), Craig Snazelle (bass) and Dave
Averre (drums). It’s interesting to note that — as with many of the musicians who
populate this area’s jazz fraternity — these guys began their careers in other
parts of the country, then decided to settle down here, where they teach and
play.
Their
forté is straight-ahead jazz, and the album focuses on standards: Cole Porter’s
“All Of You,” Mel Tormé and Robert Wells’ “Born to Be Blue,” Hoagy Carmichael’s
“The Nearness of You,” Joe Henderson’s “Isotope,” David Mann and Redd Evans’ “No
Moon at All,” and the Herb Ellis/John Frigo/Lou Carter classic, “Detour Ahead.”
The remaining tracks are originals: Averre’s “Waltz of the Rainbow Trout” and “Kind
of Bill,” and Tabor’s “Can’t Quite Get It Right.”
These
guys swing nicely, and their years together is evident. Tabor is a “less is
more” pianist, while Snazelle’s facility on bass is impressive; his solo work
is quite lyrical. Averre, in turn,
is a “tasteful” drummer who keeps things moving.
It’s
a genuine pleasure to hear this group swing.
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