John Fedchock, a former chief arranger for Woody Herman, has 16 of New York’s finest sidemen, many of whom have recorded as leaders, and the way they respond to his charts for No Nonsense (Reservoir), they obviously relish his writing. The way Fedchock digs his soloists can be heard in the ample stretch-out room he provides. The title tune is an instant mood-setter. A sweeping, ascending figure by the brass literally raises the curtain on an ensemble that typifies that self-contradictory phrase “tight but loose.” The band immediately asserts itself as a vehicle for Fedchock’s concerted vision as well as a springboard for tons of solos between the band statements. Since there is more than 71 minutes of music, there is sufficient time to hear from 10 different soloists in addition to the leader. Fedchock’s big fat tone dominates his originals “Big Bruiser” and the Latin-flavored “Eleven Nights.” But two other tracks are memorable for his arranging and playing contributions: the trombones and bass of Lynn Seaton in unison for the Oscar Pettiford tune “Tricotism” and Freddie Hubbard’s moody but lovely ballad “Eclipse.” Monk’s “Epistrophy” is given a three-against-four treatment as the trombones propel the head with a series of triplets. One unforgettable decision by Fedchock finds baritone saxophonist Scott Robinson as the featured voice on Ellington’s “Come Sunday.” Robinson and band are equally reverential in the interpretation. It’s not possible to list each solo contribution, but no one disappoints. Ironically, one criticism can be made about Fedchock: his tone is so smooth you’d like to hear him get down and dirty-just once!
Originally PublishedRelated Posts
Sonny Terry/Brownie McGhee: Backwater Blues
Start Your Free Trial to Continue Reading

Jonathan Butler: The Simple Life
Jonathan Butler’s optimistic music belies a dirt-poor childhood growing up in a South Africa segregated by apartheid. Live in South Africa, a new CD and DVD package, presents a sense of the resulting inner turmoil, mixed with dogged resolve, that paved the way to his status as an icon in his country and successful musician outside of it. Looking back, the 46-year-old Butler says today, the driving forces that led to his overcoming apartheid-the formal policy of racial separation and economic discrimination finally dismantled in 1993-were family, faith and abundant talent.
“When we were kids, our parents never talked about the ANC [African National Congress] or Nelson Mandela,” he says. Butler was raised as the youngest child in a large family. They lived in a house patched together by corrugated tin and cardboard, in the “coloreds only” township of Athlone near Cape Town. “They never talked about struggles so we never knew what was happening.”
Start Your Free Trial to Continue Reading

Scott LaFaro
Previously unavailable recordings and a new bio illuminate the legend of bassist Scott LaFaro
Kurt Elling: Man in the Air
Nate Chinen makes the argument that Kurt Elling is the most influential jazz vocalist of our time