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Applebrown Ensemble by Michael Klayman
Bar Pink is right in my neighborhood, but until baritone saxophonist Gabriel Sundy invited me to check out his horn-centric group the Applebrown Jazz Ensemble I didn't have much reason to visit.
I arrived about 11 p.m., in time to catch the last few tunes from the John Reynolds Quintet. Reynolds is a talented trumpeter who leads a group that pays homage to the straightahead tradition--referencing everyone from Clifford Brown to Wynton Marsalis.
San Diego veteran Bob Weller was subbing for his son Charlie on drums last night--and it's always a pleasure to hear the elder Weller in action. I dig his propulsive swing and ride cymbal dynamic. Reynolds is a mature, centered player who doesn't overdo the pursuit of chops in place of ideas, and his frontline partner Peter August is a robust tenor saxophonist who seems to be coming out of the tradition of guys like Dexter Gordon and Hank Mobley. The guy that always impresses me the most in this group is left-handed bassist Doug Walker. He's got a fat, mean sound and a driving time. Pianist Paul Holtz has some great ideas, but his sound was hampered by the electronic keyboard he had to use--in this music, especially--there is no substitute for a real, acoustic piano.
Applebrown Jazz Ensemble
I'd been wanting to check these guys out for awhile, and my initial assessment was very positive. Sundy promised that the group was like no other--and he was right. The band opened with "It Was As If," a rollicking New Orleans kind of groove with a Harley Magsino bass line that had me thinking Fats Domino, for some reason. Applebrown is distinguished by their Herculean 3-horn front line, led by the surprisingly lithe Sundy, who's baritone cut through the throng of loud,drunken patrons like a laser. Groove is the second salient feature--everything is tied together with a remarkable rhythmic drive.
On "Captain Darkness," Sundy's impressive horn-section writing and arranging brought the Stax-Records horns to mind. There's a definite soul-music component to this group that's hard to ignore. August, (he plays in this group, too), delivered a screaming tenor solo that was quite unlike anything he does with the Reynolds group--and Sundy brought it all home with a gruff, serpentine statement that lurched into a dramatic ending.
Whereas the first two tunes could have led one into the expectation that Applebrown was primarily a unique type of soul-jazz endeavor, as each tune emerged, the group leaned closer to a more modern, even avant-garde perspective. "Beaver Fever," reminded me of drummer/bandleader Bobby Previte's work. Guitarist Nate Jarrell squeezed in a squiggly, distorted solo over Magsino's percolating electric bass lines and the insistent groove of drummer Dave Pschaida. Sundy and trombone master Andy Geib took things into the "outer-limits" with gregarious, challenging solos that led to some wild group multiphonics at the end.
Sundy is writing some terrific, outside-the-box material for this group. The musicianship, concept and performance standards couldn't be higher --and it's an additional plus that these guys are doing something completely different. Highly recommended.
Applebrown Ensemble by Michael Klayman
Bar Pink is right in my neighborhood, but until baritone saxophonist Gabriel Sundy invited me to check out his horn-centric group the Applebrown Jazz Ensemble I didn't have much reason to visit.
I arrived about 11 p.m., in time to catch the last few tunes from the John Reynolds Quintet. Reynolds is a talented trumpeter who leads a group that pays homage to the straightahead tradition--referencing everyone from Clifford Brown to Wynton Marsalis.
San Diego veteran Bob Weller was subbing for his son Charlie on drums last night--and it's always a pleasure to hear the elder Weller in action. I dig his propulsive swing and ride cymbal dynamic. Reynolds is a mature, centered player who doesn't overdo the pursuit of chops in place of ideas, and his frontline partner Peter August is a robust tenor saxophonist who seems to be coming out of the tradition of guys like Dexter Gordon and Hank Mobley. The guy that always impresses me the most in this group is left-handed bassist Doug Walker. He's got a fat, mean sound and a driving time. Pianist Paul Holtz has some great ideas, but his sound was hampered by the electronic keyboard he had to use--in this music, especially--there is no substitute for a real, acoustic piano.
Applebrown Jazz Ensemble
I'd been wanting to check these guys out for awhile, and my initial assessment was very positive. Sundy promised that the group was like no other--and he was right. The band opened with "It Was As If," a rollicking New Orleans kind of groove with a Harley Magsino bass line that had me thinking Fats Domino, for some reason. Applebrown is distinguished by their Herculean 3-horn front line, led by the surprisingly lithe Sundy, who's baritone cut through the throng of loud,drunken patrons like a laser. Groove is the second salient feature--everything is tied together with a remarkable rhythmic drive.
On "Captain Darkness," Sundy's impressive horn-section writing and arranging brought the Stax-Records horns to mind. There's a definite soul-music component to this group that's hard to ignore. August, (he plays in this group, too), delivered a screaming tenor solo that was quite unlike anything he does with the Reynolds group--and Sundy brought it all home with a gruff, serpentine statement that lurched into a dramatic ending.
Whereas the first two tunes could have led one into the expectation that Applebrown was primarily a unique type of soul-jazz endeavor, as each tune emerged, the group leaned closer to a more modern, even avant-garde perspective. "Beaver Fever," reminded me of drummer/bandleader Bobby Previte's work. Guitarist Nate Jarrell squeezed in a squiggly, distorted solo over Magsino's percolating electric bass lines and the insistent groove of drummer Dave Pschaida. Sundy and trombone master Andy Geib took things into the "outer-limits" with gregarious, challenging solos that led to some wild group multiphonics at the end.
Sundy is writing some terrific, outside-the-box material for this group. The musicianship, concept and performance standards couldn't be higher --and it's an additional plus that these guys are doing something completely different. Highly recommended.