How nice to have the bluesy bite of Barney McClure's Hammond B-3 organ deliver the intro to "Love For Sale." Kind of like the ghost of Dinah Washington; then the warm, very liquid smooth Johnny Smith-like guitar work as Hoffman takes over, swinging like crazy and jumping on Brian Kent's sax line. McLure loves the blues feel of Horace Silver and his soloing is in that groove. "Four" is one of my favorite old Miles tunes with Larry Jones delivering a delightful light airy drum intro. Hear the tight bass line from McClure's B-3 with Jones and the guitar sailing effortlessly. "Take Five" by Brubeck, with excellent use of space and Mandyck's tasty sax reading, plus "Poinciana" are songs I first heard along with "Four" in the early 50's. They take me back with a fresh swing. "Nick's Tricks" is just swinging original lines to let the guitar and B-3 get the upbeat swing in the driving lane. It is so clean that you discount the solid playing. This is very accessible Jazz. It is "soft" Jazz but not the garbage you get on adult contemporary. This is skilled warm swing, concise. This would make an excellent intro to new Jazz fans. Very enjoyable, swinging set of tunes. Buy!
Chris Lunn - Victory Review
| 1. | Love for Sale (Porter) | 7:27 |
| 2. | Four (Davis) | 5:47 |
| 3. | Nick's Tricks (Hoffman) | 6:02 |
| 4. | What Is This Thing Called Love? (Porter) | 6:28 |
| 5. | Ernie's Assignment (Hoffman) | 5:56 |
| 6. | Good Morning Heartache | 5:07 |
| 7. | You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To (Porter) | 5:24 |
| 8. | Moment's Notice (Coltrane) | 6:10 |
| 9. | Take Five (Desmond) | 6:26 |
| 10. | Walkin' (R.Carpenter) | 7:39 |
| 11. | Poinciana | 8:26 |
| Total Time | 71:26 |
| RealAudio (3.0 @ 28.8) |
| Nick Hoffman (guitar) is a native of Chicago having grown up at Von Freeman jam sessions. Bunky Green was also a big influence. He attended Berkelee in '76, then returned to Chicago and formed Emanon which included alto saxophonist Steve Coleman. After moving to Bellingham in '78 and taking a stab at several other endeavors (commercial fishing, skydiving, poker, chess), he returned to music and formed Jazz Friends with Debra Chang. He currently plays music with Puget Jazz Sounds. Nicholas has also produced free memorial concerts featuring the music of Charlie Parker and Miles Davis on their 75th and 70th birthdays respectively. The Charlie Parker Memorial Concert is available on cassette. |
| Barney McClure (Hammond B3 organ) is well-known for his work as a jazz pianist, and has played with Sonny Stitt, Milt Jackson, and Ernestine Anderson, among others. He has several CDs and is a record producer with his own label (MNOP). He was also mayor of Port Townsend, WA (home of one of the biggest NW jazz festivals) and a state rep, too. |
| Larry Jones (drums) is one of Seattle's top drummers, and has played with everyone from Joe Henderson to Mose Allision as Jazz Alley's (Seattle's premier jazz club) on-call drummer. |
| Brian Kent (tenor saxophone on 1-5) accompanied Vince Balestri's one-man Jack Kerouac show for several years. Brian also has a "day job" with Little Bill and the Blue Notes. |
| Rick Mandyck (tenor saxophone on 7-11) won Earshot magazine's "Best Emerging Artist" award in '95. In 1996, he released his own CD, Looking Glass, which won Earshot's CD of the Year award. |
| Debra Chang (vocals on track 6) plays piano and B-3 (although not here) and sings, too. She has a doctorate in music composition, and has studied with teachers as diverse as Cecil Taylor and Phil Winsor. |
|
Recorded in Edgewood, WA.
© 1997 Nick Hoffman
2500 H St. Visit Nick's home page! |
Web pages created by Gilles Bacon © 1997.