Recent Listening In Brief: Dave Young \ Terry Promane Octet Volume 2 (MAPL)
The Young \ Promane Octet contains distinguished musicians based in Ontario, Canada. Young is the bassist, Promane the trombonist. Each is an accomplished arranger. The album opens with Young’s waltz-time version of Hammertein’s and Rodgers’ “Oh, What A Beautiful Morning,†and continues with fresh arrangements of nine other standards from the jazz and popular repertoires. The album includes pieces by Charles Mingus, Michel Legrand, Duke Pearson and Cedar Walton.
Tenor Saxophonist Mike Murley’s “Can’t You See,†arranged by Promane, is based on “Tea For Two.†In a highlight of the CD the composer robustly solos on the piece, as do the co-leaders. Murley also stands out on McHugh’s & Fields’s “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love†and on the Frigo-Ellis-Carter classic “Detour Ahead.†Others to single out for their solo work are trumpeter Kevin Turcotte on Dizzy Gillespie’s “Bebop†and alto saxophonist Vern Dorge in Mingus’s “Duke Ellington’s Sound of Love.
This is a worthy followup to Young and Promane’s first album of the octet released in 2013. It is a substantial addition to the discography of medium-sized jazz groups.
Next time: further reports on recent listening, including two albums from Wadada Leo Smith.