July/August 1999

Harry Allen
Meets the John Pizzarelli Trio
RCAVictor

By Bill Bennett

Harry Allen is a young man with great facility and a big sound on the tenor saxophone. He has been a musical acquaintance of guitarist John Pizzarelli for some fifteen years, and made an appearance on a recent Pizzarelli recording. The current engagement has evolved from that date, and small wonder: these two players sound as if they very much enjoy each other's company. The group, which includes pianist Ray Kennedy and drummer Martin Pizzarelli, romps through a baker's dozen of swing-happy selections, with Allen paying tribute to his inspirations along the way: Zoot Sims in a major way, with a trace here and there of Lester Young. The Getzian flavor to which Pizzarelli alludes in his liner accolades eludes me, but that's all right: There is plenty here to hear, from an ensemble which couldn't get any tighter.