May 1999

Harry Allen Quartet
Jazz im Amerika Haus
Nagel-Heyer

By Nate Guidry

Tenor saxophonist Harry Allen is a generation-plus removed from the swing period, but his phrasing reveals a deep-rooted understanding of the idiom. Performing live at the "Jazz im Amerika Haus"-a concert series that began in 1994 in Hamburg-Allen teams with pianist John Bunch, bassist Dennis Irwin, and drummer Duffy Jackson for an evening that swings with the lyricism of "This Time the Dream's On Me" and the brawn of "Everyday I Have the Blues." Equally enjoyable is the bow to Fats Waller's "Honeysuckle Rose."