Leon Sash Trio: I Remember Newport

It seems only logical that a jazz accordionist would try to avoid anything that #would suggest the instrument’s “wedding music” stereotype. But accordionist Leon Sash failed to avoid the pitfall by choosing those very songs, like “Misty” for instance, which conjure up that image. With a very straight approach from his rhythm section of bassist Lee Morgan and drummer Ed Uhlig and a repertoire of older standards such as “Pennies from Heaven” and “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” there’s little to perk our interest. We get a taste of Sash’s possibilities when he stretches out a bit more on a few tunes like “Our Love Is Here to Stay” and wonder what he might sound like if he became more adventuresome. Hey, most of the tunes here are just two-and-a-half minutes, hardly time to dig in.

Originally Published January 1, 1998