CD Review: Dave Wilson Quartet - One Night at Chris'

Dave Wilson (tenor/soprano saxes); Kirk Reese (piano); Tony Marino (bass); Dan Monaghan (drums).

(Review by Lance).

A live recording from Chris' Jazz Café in Philly back in March 2018, it presents an enigma. If you'd been at the gig you'd most certainly want to have it as a memento of what was, without doubt, a swinging evening. The enigmatic part of the equation is that, if you weren't there and live some thousands of miles away in another country would the album still be worth a punt?

It depends on whether or not you go for the concept, which is of jazz interpretations of pop/rock favourites as opposed to the perennial GASbook material. The fact is that most of the songs are around 40/50 years old which, in truth, is not that far removed, at least in time, from the Golden Age. My problem is that, whereas with the gassers the melodies are so strong I can live without the words, the more contemporary tunes, I find, don't stand up so well without the lyrics or maybe it's the changes are less/more complex - I don't know.

Here we have, Beatles, Grateful Dead, Beach Boys, Creed, Ambrosio, four Dave Wilson originals and - you can't escape it - Summertime. Yes, 11 minutes of the Gershwin opus out runs Norwegian Wood by 4 minutes.

  

The band is a sizzling combo that works on the material given and if they don't quite create a silk purse they do manage a high-quality synthetic one. The pure silk comes with the originals. Hard blowing tenor, contemporary soprano, piano perfection, bass and drums on the money. Don't dismiss it without a listen.

Lance

Ocean Blues; Friend of the Devil; Norwegian Wood; My Own Prison; Biggest Part of Me; Movin' On; God Only Knows; Untitled Modal Tune; Summertime; Spiral.

Try/Buy.