Month: November 2011

These two new releases showcase guitarist John Scofield in far different ways. The DVD finds Scofield in a quartet setting and is the perfect vehicle for his skills, displaying chops on cuts like “Ten Taken,” where he navigates changes at a breakneck pace, and the organ-based “Slinky,” a soul tune that shows how funk often intersects with his jazz side through the use of octaves and chords. His first solo sets the table, and as the band swings back to him, he plays in that weird-but beautiful-intersection where the blues meets jazz meets rock and roll.

His band is perfect for this setting, especially drummer Bill Stewart, who’s at the top of the jazz field at this point. Not only does the DVD show the great playing, but a short feature and interview with Scofield is a bonus.

On the Henderson disc, Scofield’s role is different. His atmospheric chording and beautiful laid-back soloing are the perfect foil for Henderson’s trumpet. His sense of harmony structure on the title cut finds Henderson soloing over Sco’s beautiful chordal work.

These two releases perfectly showcase the difference between being a sideman and a leader.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Mar. ’11 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Many musicians play swing, but few swing with the authenticity of Don Stiernberg, with whom the expression “Dig your well deep” comes to mind.

On Swing 220, Stiernberg is joined by Jeff Jenkins on guitar and Rusty Holloway on upright bass.

For this session, Jenkins uses a 1949 Epiphone Emperor while Stiernberg plays his ’96 two-point Nugget, and Holloway plays a 19th-century Collin Mettzin double bass.

The songs come from the great American songbook – standards including “Night and Day,” “All of Me,” “Pennies From Heaven,” “Lady Be Good,” “Stardust,” “Honeysuckle Rose,” “How High the Moon,” and “Limehouse Blues.” The arrangements aren’t flashy – they begin with a statement of the melody then the trio races off with solos for all. As the leader, Stiernberg takes the first improv solo pass, followed by Jenkins’ guitar. Both have the swing sensibility so thoroughly ingrained that while they go out on improvisational limbs, they never step outside the melodic and harmonic conventions of traditional swing music. This is a lovely album of beautifully played traditional American music.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Mar. ’11 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

Asked what younger jazz guitarists stood out to him, in his March ’10 VG interview, George Benson listed Norman Brown, Mark Whitfield, Russell Malone, and “the guitar player who’s playing with Freddy Cole.” He may not have remembered Randy Napoleon’s name, but he called him “spectacular.”

The 33-year-old previously played on Cole’s live Dreamer In Me CD, backed vocalists Michael Buble and Melissa Morgan, collaborated with organist Jared Gold, and was a member of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. In addition, Napoleon’s 2006 solo album, Between Friends (featuring another former leader, pianist Benny Green), showcased what Benson called his “allfingers
approach.”

Napoleon arranged 10 of the album’s 12 songs – handling the doubly daunting task of doing justice to Cole’s voice (very similar to his legendary brother, the late Nat “King” Cole) as well as songs associated with Cole’s friend and mentor, Billy Eckstein. The Brooklyn native approaches these chores with the same sensitivity and insight he brings to his guitar playing – from the solo arpeggios that support Cole’s honey-toned vocal on “Tender Is The Night” to the octave runs that follow, as the ensemble joins in to establish a relaxed, swinging groove, before he trades a tasty single-note solo with special guest Houston Person’s tenor sax. For “Cottage For Sale,” the sad tale of a dream cottage now abandoned, Cole asked for a George Shearing feel, and Napoleon cleverly references the optimistic “Folks Who Live On the Hill” in the intro.

Throughout, he coaxes a warm but round tone from his Stadler archtop (a 17” Free Verse with floating humbucker) and reveals his biggest influences, Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass. Others “who swing and have a deep blues feeling” – including Benson, Barney Kessel, Grant Green, and Charlie Christian – are evident on “Jelly, Jelly.” A fitting tribute to them and, of course, to Mr. B.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Mar. ’11 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

From punk to rockabilly – it feels like a perfectly natural progression for Mike Herrera. Part of the 1990s punk trio MxPx, Herrera has stepped back in, with his group Tumbledown.

Tumbledown marked its debut with the band’s 2009 disc. Led by Herrera on vocals, guitar, and songwriting duties, the group includes lead guitarist Jack Parker, standup bassist Marshall Trotland, and drummer Harley Trotland.

Empty Bottle is rockabilly for a new era. While the band may tip its hat to the Sun sound, its music is current, with closer ties to punk and the alt country of Lucero, Old 97s, and Hank Williams III’s alter-ego Assjack band.

They kick off with “Places In This Town,” which is high-energy vintage country/rock and roll – but with a sheen that takes the music far from Memphis. “Dead Man Walking” is wrapped in glorious reverb and echoing guitar work, while “Drink To Forget” is no-apologies modern honky-tonk with a fine punk twang.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s Mar. ’11 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.