Album Review: The Song in Our Soul from the Palomar Trio

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Album:  The Song in Our Soul
Artist:  The Palomar Trio
Label:  Turtle Bay Records
Website:  https://www.danlevinson.com/

The Palomar Trio is comprised of Dan Levinson on clarinet, Mark Shane on piano, and Kevin Dorn on drums, all of whom are New York-based musicians and ardent aficionados of jazz from the 1920's and '30s.  Specializing in traditional jazz and swing music, the trio revive hot jazz novelties descriptive of the Jazz Age on their 2023 release The Song in Our Soul from Turtle Bay Records.

The sweltering furls of Levinson's clarinet have a vintage Cotton Club-imbued shimmer partnered with the shuffling strokes of Dorn's drums and the soft kindle in Shane's keys filamenting "Delta Bound."  The slow roll of the rhythmic beats burn with a low-flamed intensity.  Moving along, the shuffling tempo traveling across "Shanty in Old Shanty Town" has a charming ragtime clamor, as the winsome flutter of the keys enhance the sleek trembles of the clarinet, gearing into a swinging romp reminiscent of the music coming out of the salons and dancehalls that festooned the New Orleans party district of Storyville.

The trundling motion of Shane's keys at the helm of "Wake Up! Chill’un, Wake Up!,”  is supported by the steady drumbeats of Dorn as Levinson's clarinet scats vigorously, tenderizing the melodic patterns into an incandescent froth.  The trio's nature to lean towards upbeat rhythms and festive atmospheres is reflective of Bix Beiderbecke, and strongly heard in the tinpan alley-like peels of "Radio Shuffle."  Slowing the tempo to a casual stroll along "Roses in December," the brushed strokes of Dorn's drums is complimented by the lightness in the trickling keys and simmering swells of the clarinet.

The trio is heavily influenced by early jazz legends like Teddy Wilson, Lionel Hampton, Gene Krupa, and especially by Benny Goodman’s trio recordings.  The name of the group is an homage to Goodman, whose performance at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles in 1935 is considered the beginning of the swing era.

The trio's reimagination of tunes from another generation refreshes these novelties with a contemporary glint that preserves their zeal for present day audiences.  The Jazz Age Lawn Party atmosphere of the recording shows audiences that hot jazz has a modern presence.

Musicians:
Dan Levinson - clarinet
Mark Shane - piano
Kevin Dorn - drums


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