By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Waltz New
Guitarist
Tom Dempsey and bassist Tim Ferguson have been friends for more than 25 years,
and have worked together numerous times since their college days. Dempsey may
be better known, because his career experiences have included stage and TV
exposure: with dancer Savion Glover, in Bring
In ’da Noise, Bring In ’da Funk; and as part of the ensembles behind The Rosie O’Donnell Show and HBO’s Sex and the City. Dempsey is one of the
best jazz guitarists I’ve ever heard, and he also is a teacher, educator and
author.
Ferguson
has been a first-call bassist in the New York City jazz scene for 20 years. He
also composes and arranges, and teaches privately.
Over
time, both have worked with numerous name members of the jazz fraternity;
they’ve also played in a quartet format with tenor saxophonist Joel Frahm and
drummer Eliot Zigmund. One of those meet-ups produced the 2013 album Beautiful Friendship; Waltz New is their
second outing.
Dempsey
and Ferguson both admire guitarist Jim Hall, who composed six of this new
album’s songs. The rest are Dempsey’s “Village Waltz,” Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein’s
“All The Things You Are,” Arthur Schwartz and Howard
Dietz’s “Alone Together,” Hoagy Carmichael’s “Skylark,” and Ron Carter’s “Receipt
Please.” Dempsey handled the new arrangements.
All the tracks are played
beautifully, with masterful recording and mixing. Each artist delivers
thoughtful and imaginative solos, which perfectly complement the melodic themes
and chord changes. This “blending” of instruments adds greatly to the album’s
enjoyment. It deserves prime placement in your musical library.
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