4 Ken Peplowski is yet another clarinetist with some stylistic kinship to the swing era, but on tenor he can sound like a cousin to Zoot Sims. On his Easy to Remember (Nagel-Heyer), Peplowski surrounds himself with mainstream modern colleagues who would fit in better with Sims and his successors than with, say, the earlier Ben Webster. Joe Cohn (son of Al) on guitar, Ted Rosenthal on piano, Joe Fitzgerald on bass and Jeff Brillinger on drums provide a compatible setting for Peplowski’s own consummate improvisations on either horn. A highlight is their performance of Al Cohn’s "High on You," where the three melody instruments (with Peplowski on tenor) race flawlessly and breathtakingly through Al’s interesting chord changes. By contrast, Peplowski stays close to the melody on the ballad “With Every Breath I Take,” where he displays a beautiful clarinet tone and a warm delivery. And Ellington’s “Single Petal of a Rose” is treated as a brief, cadenzalike clarinet solo. Bobby Short and Kim Liggett appear successfully as guest vocalists on “It’s Easy to Remember” and Paul McCartney’s “Junk,” respectively. true 11 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 15482 88 200502 true 0 99 2005-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

Ken Peplowski is yet another clarinetist with some stylistic kinship to the swing era, but on tenor he can sound like a cousin to Zoot Sims. On his Easy to Remember (Nagel-Heyer), Peplowski surrounds himself with mainstream modern colleagues who would fit in better with Sims and his successors than with, say, the earlier Ben Webster. Joe Cohn (son of Al) on guitar, Ted Rosenthal on piano, Joe Fitzgerald on bass and Jeff Brillinger on drums provide a compatible setting for Peplowski’s own consummate improvisations on either horn. A highlight is their performance of Al Cohn’s "High on You," where the three melody instruments (with Peplowski on tenor) race flawlessly and breathtakingly through Al’s interesting chord changes. By contrast, Peplowski stays close to the melody on the ballad “With Every Breath I Take,” where he displays a beautiful clarinet tone and a warm delivery. And Ellington’s “Single Petal of a Rose” is treated as a brief, cadenzalike clarinet solo. Bobby Short and Kim Liggett appear successfully as guest vocalists on “It’s Easy to Remember” and Paul McCartney’s “Junk,” respectively.

2009-03-02T00:24:28-05:00

4 After being away from playing for nearly 40 years, the 69-year-old West Coast clarinetist Mort Weiss is back, and he’s on a tear. The Three of Us (SMSJazz), his third album since his return, features Weiss with the superb seven-string guitarist Ron Escheté and virtuoso bassist Dave Carpenter in an excellent program of jazz standards and pop songs favored by jazz players. In spite of having been away from the horn for so long, Weiss still possesses a prodigious technique as well as an airy, emotion-laden tone somewhat reminiscent of Lester Young’s or Zoot Sims’ on clarinet. Indeed, though he can generate abundant excitement on the up tunes, his overall manner seems grounded in the cool school, and sometimes evokes Jimmy Guiffre or even Paul Desmond. And while he can create lyrical phrases of his own, he will also stick close to the tune, as on “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” where he’s obviously content to imbue that classic melody with a poignant soulfulness. Weiss gives Escheté and Carpenter ample room to stretch out and both are at the top of their game. true 11 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 15483 88 200502 true 0 99 2005-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

After being away from playing for nearly 40 years, the 69-year-old West Coast clarinetist Mort Weiss is back, and he’s on a tear. The Three of Us (SMSJazz), his third album since his return, features Weiss with the superb seven-string guitarist Ron Escheté and virtuoso bassist Dave Carpenter in an excellent program of jazz standards and pop songs favored by jazz players. In spite of having been away from the horn for so long, Weiss still possesses a prodigious technique as well as an airy, emotion-laden tone somewhat reminiscent of Lester Young’s or Zoot Sims’ on clarinet. Indeed, though he can generate abundant excitement on the up tunes, his overall manner seems grounded in the cool school, and sometimes evokes Jimmy Guiffre or even Paul Desmond. And while he can create lyrical phrases of his own, he will also stick close to the tune, as on “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” where he’s obviously content to imbue that classic melody with a poignant soulfulness. Weiss gives Escheté and Carpenter ample room to stretch out and both are at the top of their game.

2009-03-02T00:24:28-05:00

4 If Mort Weiss at 69 is extraordinary, Buddy DeFranco at 81 is amazing. On Cookin’ the Books (Arbors) he doesn’t just play as well as somebody decades younger, he truly plays better than most. Known in the 1940s as “the Charlie Parker of the clarinet” for introducing the instrument to bebop with his phenomenal technique, ear and imagination, DeFranco continues to dazzle with those same attributes. Indeed, on “What Is This Thing Called Love ?” and “Scrapple From the Apple” he sounds every bit like Charlie Parker. With the John Pizzarelli Trio (John on guitar, brother Martin on bass, Ray Kennedy on piano) and drummer Butch Miles as colleagues, the ageless clarinetist sails through a repertoire of medium and medium up standards with youthful aplomb. The others are appropriate company, setting up an irresistible sense of swing and offering first-class solos themselves. Kennedy is especially impressive for his ability to find a strong rhythmic groove and place every note in its perfect spot. John Pizzarelli sings on “Prisoner of Love” and “What Is This Thing Called Love ?” but as nicely as he does, his scat in unison with his breakneck guitar solo on the title tune may be his most striking vocal offering. true 11 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 15484 88 200502 true 0 99 2005-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

If Mort Weiss at 69 is extraordinary, Buddy DeFranco at 81 is amazing. On Cookin’ the Books (Arbors) he doesn’t just play as well as somebody decades younger, he truly plays better than most. Known in the 1940s as “the Charlie Parker of the clarinet” for introducing the instrument to bebop with his phenomenal technique, ear and imagination, DeFranco continues to dazzle with those same attributes. Indeed, on “What Is This Thing Called Love ?” and “Scrapple From the Apple” he sounds every bit like Charlie Parker. With the John Pizzarelli Trio (John on guitar, brother Martin on bass, Ray Kennedy on piano) and drummer Butch Miles as colleagues, the ageless clarinetist sails through a repertoire of medium and medium up standards with youthful aplomb. The others are appropriate company, setting up an irresistible sense of swing and offering first-class solos themselves. Kennedy is especially impressive for his ability to find a strong rhythmic groove and place every note in its perfect spot. John Pizzarelli sings on “Prisoner of Love” and “What Is This Thing Called Love ?” but as nicely as he does, his scat in unison with his breakneck guitar solo on the title tune may be his most striking vocal offering.

2009-03-02T00:24:28-05:00

4 Modern Madness or Tribal Truth? (Loplop), by the Dutch group M.O.T., features a fascinating amalgam of African rhythms, straightahead and free jazz as well as various exotic influences that rivet the attention and stimulate the senses throughout. With a collective instrumentation of alto clarinet, E-flat clarinet, violin, piano, electric keyboards (and samples), tuba, drum set, African drums and small percussion, the group weaves a thick textured melodic, harmonic and rhythm fabric. Some of the music is composed (all but one track by the leader and clarinetist Steven Kamperman), and much of it is improvised by the technically and musically exceptional players. Zambian-born drummer Michael Baird who’s also an African-music scholar and the Senegalese drummer Ousmane Seye, aided by keyboardist Albert Van Veenendaal and tubist Patrick Votrian, provide a complex but forward-moving rhythmic setting. Over and through that, Kamperman and violinist Jasper Le Clercq sing, dance, whisper and cry sometimes in a hard-bop mode, sometimes in free-jazz style, sometimes in a manner resistant to categorization, but always in a way that’s fresh and interesting. true 11 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 15485 88 200502 true 0 99 2005-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

Modern Madness or Tribal Truth? (Loplop), by the Dutch group M.O.T., features a fascinating amalgam of African rhythms, straightahead and free jazz as well as various exotic influences that rivet the attention and stimulate the senses throughout. With a collective instrumentation of alto clarinet, E-flat clarinet, violin, piano, electric keyboards (and samples), tuba, drum set, African drums and small percussion, the group weaves a thick textured melodic, harmonic and rhythm fabric. Some of the music is composed (all but one track by the leader and clarinetist Steven Kamperman), and much of it is improvised by the technically and musically exceptional players. Zambian-born drummer Michael Baird who’s also an African-music scholar and the Senegalese drummer Ousmane Seye, aided by keyboardist Albert Van Veenendaal and tubist Patrick Votrian, provide a complex but forward-moving rhythmic setting. Over and through that, Kamperman and violinist Jasper Le Clercq sing, dance, whisper and cry sometimes in a hard-bop mode, sometimes in free-jazz style, sometimes in a manner resistant to categorization, but always in a way that’s fresh and interesting.

2009-03-02T00:24:28-05:00

4 Detroit clarinetist/saxophonist Wendell Harrison set out to reach a wider audience with Urban Expressions (WenHa), and perhaps this set of electro-pop interspersed with his jazz improvisations will do it for him but it is not likely to appeal to the hardcore jazz audience. Programmed keyboard and drums, distant background vocals and an overall smooth jazz/pop format suggest that the record is more likely to be used as background music than something to be seriously listened to. Even Ellington’s "Don’t Get Around Much Anymore" receives that kind of treatment, which seems much more appropriately applied to, for example, Stevie Wonder’s "Lately" and the Isley Brothers’ "Living for the Love of You." For all that, the music is polished and well executed, and Harrison’s improvised solos on clarinet and tenor remind the listener of his well-earned reputation as a fine straightahead jazzman. true 11 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 15486 88 200502 true 0 99 2005-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

Detroit clarinetist/saxophonist Wendell Harrison set out to reach a wider audience with Urban Expressions (WenHa), and perhaps this set of electro-pop interspersed with his jazz improvisations will do it for him but it is not likely to appeal to the hardcore jazz audience. Programmed keyboard and drums, distant background vocals and an overall smooth jazz/pop format suggest that the record is more likely to be used as background music than something to be seriously listened to. Even Ellington’s "Don’t Get Around Much Anymore" receives that kind of treatment, which seems much more appropriately applied to, for example, Stevie Wonder’s "Lately" and the Isley Brothers’ "Living for the Love of You." For all that, the music is polished and well executed, and Harrison’s improvised solos on clarinet and tenor remind the listener of his well-earned reputation as a fine straightahead jazzman.

2009-03-02T00:24:28-05:00

4 Eddie Daniels is one of the finest clarinetists in jazz, and Larry Combs, as principal clarinetist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, holds down one of the world’s top classical clarinet positions. Together, they have produced a splendid recording of music that spans both realms (as well as in-between) and shows each performer to be more than adept in the other’s world. Crossing the Line (Summit) showcases the prodigious duo in three straight recital pieces (by Ponchielli, Pleyel and W.F. Bach, the first one with a string quintet), a pair of fully or partially jazz-influenced works (by Gordon Goodwin and William O. Smith) and four straightahead jazz tracks with a standard rhythm section (Bud Powell’s “Hallucinations,” Bill Evans’ “We Will Meet Again,” “Blue Monk” and an André Victor Correa samba). They also place some short, improvised, duo “noodles” in between. Both clarinetists are so extraordinarily technically proficient that it’s not always possible to tell who’s who on the classical works. And though one can recognize Daniels’ improvisational style on the jazz cuts, Combs, due to his longtime interest in and experience with jazz, more than holds his own there. true 11 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 15487 88 200502 true 0 99 2005-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

Eddie Daniels is one of the finest clarinetists in jazz, and Larry Combs, as principal clarinetist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, holds down one of the world’s top classical clarinet positions. Together, they have produced a splendid recording of music that spans both realms (as well as in-between) and shows each performer to be more than adept in the other’s world. Crossing the Line (Summit) showcases the prodigious duo in three straight recital pieces (by Ponchielli, Pleyel and W.F. Bach, the first one with a string quintet), a pair of fully or partially jazz-influenced works (by Gordon Goodwin and William O. Smith) and four straightahead jazz tracks with a standard rhythm section (Bud Powell’s “Hallucinations,” Bill Evans’ “We Will Meet Again,” “Blue Monk” and an André Victor Correa samba). They also place some short, improvised, duo “noodles” in between. Both clarinetists are so extraordinarily technically proficient that it’s not always possible to tell who’s who on the classical works. And though one can recognize Daniels’ improvisational style on the jazz cuts, Combs, due to his longtime interest in and experience with jazz, more than holds his own there.

2009-03-02T00:24:28-05:00

4 One would never suspect after hearing Concerts (Dreyfus) that Michel Portal was a pioneer of free jazz in France. Because these 14 tracks, extracted from three European duo concerts with accordionist Richard Galliano between May 1999 and July 2003, are mostly modern mainstream in their overall approach, albeit spiced on occasion with a free-sounding passage. Where they mostly differ from the normal mainstream offering is in their instrumentation - the accordion serves as the entire rhythmic section while Portal utilizes clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, the concertino-like bandoneon and jazzophones as well as in their repertoire and their seemingly telepathic understanding of what the other is about to do. Such an empathetic relationship leads to jointly improvised passages so right they could pass for well-crafted composition. In place of jazz or pop standards, exotic, often dancelike pieces by composers such as the great tango artist Astor Piazzolla and noted Brazilian composer/performer Hermeto Pascoal provide the setting for the two performers’ own originals, with titles like "Tango Pour Claude" (Galliano) and "Mozambique" (Portal). Both men are creative virtuosos and both can swing furiously. true 11 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 15268 88 200502 true 0 99 2005-01-01T00:00:00-05:00

One would never suspect after hearing Concerts (Dreyfus) that Michel Portal was a pioneer of free jazz in France. Because these 14 tracks, extracted from three European duo concerts with accordionist Richard Galliano between May 1999 and July 2003, are mostly modern mainstream in their overall approach, albeit spiced on occasion with a free-sounding passage. Where they mostly differ from the normal mainstream offering is in their instrumentation - the accordion serves as the entire rhythmic section while Portal utilizes clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, the concertino-like bandoneon and jazzophones as well as in their repertoire and their seemingly telepathic understanding of what the other is about to do. Such an empathetic relationship leads to jointly improvised passages so right they could pass for well-crafted composition. In place of jazz or pop standards, exotic, often dancelike pieces by composers such as the great tango artist Astor Piazzolla and noted Brazilian composer/performer Hermeto Pascoal provide the setting for the two performers’ own originals, with titles like "Tango Pour Claude" (Galliano) and "Mozambique" (Portal). Both men are creative virtuosos and both can swing furiously.

2009-03-02T00:24:18-05:00