Album Review: I'll Never Be the Same from Jack Brandfield

-

Album:  I’ll Never Be the Same
Artist:  Jack Brandfield
Label:  Gut Strings Records
Website:  www.jackbrandfield.com

Cool jazz finds another recruit in saxophonist-interpreter Jack Brandfield.  His latest release I'll Never Be the Same is a pleasing elixir on the senses with reworkings of a handful of jazz standards.  Accompanied by Randy Napoleon on guitar and Rodney Whitaker on bass, the smooth strut of Brandfield's music purveys a succor effect.  Traditional bebop idioms can be heard in his verses in addition to his impulse to improvise, presenting ear-catching trajectories along the melodic progressions.

"Nobody Else But Me," a music score written by Jerome Kern, brings out Brandfield's charismatic personality as his saxophone soars with vibrant swirls and twists that keep the melody active.  The silky tresses of Brandfield's sax trotting along "Vignette" produce a merriment that leaves fond impressions on listeners, which then slows to a slumber-like strut through "Where Leaves Change."  Napoleon's finely threaded guitar chords add to the reposing atmosphere as Whitabker's bass induce a hypnotic vibration along the melody.

The tempo picks up a few notches on "Lover Come Back To Me," a popular song composed by Sigmund Romberg.  The melody's catchy shuffle brims with a sense of love, joy and tranquility.  Going forward, the steamy ethers puffing from Brandfields saxophone along "I'll Never Be The Same" bask listeners in jolly aesthetics as Napoleon's brushed guitar strings cradle the melody with a sensual touch.  The bopping tempo coursing through "On A Slow Boat To China," a standard written by Frank Loesser, is fraught with thrusting saxophone toots and pumping bass pulls as Napoleon's gentle guitar riffs soften the adventurous mood with a touch of comfort.

A sense of love, joy, and tranquility radiates in every track.  Jack Brandfield, while still in his early twenties, has mastered the properties of cool jazz and bebop.  His music shows traits of traditional, modern, and improvised jazz.  Brandfield and crew have the means to captivate audiences, luring them into sheer pleasure.

Musicians:
Jack Brandfield: tenor saxophone
Randy Napoleon: guitar
Rodney Whitaker: bass


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Album Review: This Could Be The Start from Linda Purl

-
Image
Album: This Could Be The Start Artist:  Linda Purl Label: Reaching Records Website:  https://www.lindapurl.com Vocalist Linda Purl and her music director Tedd Firth come together for their fourth album, This Could Be the Start .  The collection contains Purl's reimagination of a handful of jazz standards, tailored to her vocal specifications.  Supported by an intimate cadre of musicians that include bassist David Finck, drummer Ray Marchica and reed player Nelson Rangell, Purl finesses a selection of Great American Songbook jewels with a contemporary sheen. The playful merengue rhythm driving "Blue Moon," a swinging romp written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, is trussed in Ray Marchica's percolating percussion and a profusion of jutting keys performed by Ted Firth.  The track steps out of the customary schematics of swing jazz bolstered by blues vocals and articulates a Latin-imbued tremor.  The bossa nova curves shaping one of Cole Porter's signature pieces,
Read more

Album Review: The Ways In from James Zollar

-
Image
Album:  The Ways In Artist:  James Zollar Label:  Label: JZAZ Records Websites:  https://www.rsberkeley.com/james-zollar https://www.discogs.com/artist/954763-James-Zollar https://wyntonmarsalis.org/personnel/detail/james-zollar A straight-ahead jazz oeuvre, The Ways In from bandleader and trumpet player James Zollar resumes a quest where pioneers of the trumpet's sympathetic vibrations like Clifford Brown and Bill Coleman left off.  Zollar shows audiences the delightful, melodious tone of the trumpet, moving in harmony with an array of brass, woodwinds, and rhythm instruments. The robust wails of Zollar's trumpet strutting languidly along "Do Nothing 'till You Hear From Me" emotes an enduring personable trait, unwavering persistence in the face of being dejected.  The recording switches to a joyful atmosphere in "Swing Spring" with jangly beats from percussionist Chembo Corniel, interfacing with the buoyant ripples generated by Michael Rorby's trom
Read more

Album Review: Globetrotter from Luca di Luzio

-
Image
Album:  Globetrotter Artist:  Luca di Luzio Label:  Self-Released Website:  www.lucadiluzio.it   Guitarist Luca di Luzio's upcoming CD, Globetrotter  is an assortment of contemporary jazz tunes bridging funk, blues, soul, and Latin music.  Comprised of a few jazz standards and a handful of original works written by Luca di Luzio, a prolific guitar player who studied different styles of music, the recording expresses his personal vision of jazz guitar based on melody and groove.  Joining Di Luzio in his vision are bass guitarist Jimmy Haslip, drummer Dave Wecki, keyboardist George Whitty, and saxophonists Max Ionata and Alessandro Fariselli. From dance-funk numbers like "Jazzlife" and "Elisir" to the soft billows and reflective moods projected in "Smile" and " Buena Suerte," Di Luzio's artistry stems from his vision to make music that is aesthetically pleasing.  "Sunshower," a tune written by Kenny Barron, is a pr
Read more