The Blueprints Trio: Souvenir

Self-Published
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.