Well, I’m not sure this is allowed. This is an album of largely high energy jazz that sounds like it was made simply to be enjoyed. The blurb tells us that the name of the album is an homage to the idea of planning a playdate for a group of kids and that sense of fun pops up in several places across the album’s 43 minutes. There is a mix of styles and the music evokes all sorts of cinematic imagery; the music reaches back to golden era Blue Note but has a steady eye on challenges of the future as if to suggest the direction that this jazz thing might be going in.
Keezer’s name is not unknown within these walls as he has
played on albums by some of my favourite artists, most notably Claire Martin
and Tim Garland. His CV also includes sessions with Art Blakey, Art Farmer,
Benny Golson and Christian McBride among others. This is his 23rd
album under his own name and he gets an extra point for commissioning a cover
that captures the fun of the album.
First track, Refuge,
is an orchestrated piece that starts with the orchestra and a strong suggestion
that it has been lifted from a film noir soundtrack. The fatal femme is in
peril and bright street lights allow for sharp running shadows thrown onto
stark white walls. But wait, what’s this? Rising from noir et blanc into
technicolour comes something more modern. It’s a funky piece of post-bop with
Keezer throwing shapes on the piano, long runs and left hand percussion before
Ron Blake shows why he was invited onto the session. We’re ‘on a journey’ here
until the modern slips back under the orchestral flourishes.
ILYBD is a
fine piece of organ-led classic Blue Note, tho’ it is a Keezer composition.
Mitchell, Goods and Scott provide the frame for Keezer and Blake to shine
again,
Her
Look, Her Touch is a lovely blues. Long, sentimental lines from
Blake are under-pinned by tumbling notes from Keezer on piano and swirling
organ from Mitchell, the tune’s composer. Like the opener, this is cinematic in
that it conjures up images from a summertime romance, somewhere like the Amalfi
Coast. (I’ve never been, they tell me it’s nice).
Tomorrow is a
tune from the Brothers Johnson, best known in the UK for their 1977 hit Strawberry Letter 23. Siedah Garrett,
who later sang with Michael Jackson, added lyrics to Tomorrow but whilst she gets a writer’s credit, this is an
instrumental version. A Jarrett-esque
piano solo opens it before soft drums lead into a phat funk bass line. Soaring,
optimistic sax is the icing on the cake; Nir Felder gives us some scything,
rocky electric guitar before it’s bass player Richie Goods’ chance to take
centre stage. A popping, running bass solo is backed by metronomic drums whilst
Mitchell adds colour on the organ to broaden the sound.
Bebah is
another widescreen orchestral song. It opens with a tragic lament played by
Keezer and the orchestra with dramatic flourishes matched by Mitchell’s organ
followed by Keezer and Blake playing a call-and-response duet before Blake
takes off and makes the tune his. This was supposed to be an old fashioned
blowing date and that’s what Blake is doing here. It’s a long, flowing solo
which covers the full range of the tenor sax’s voice. Whilst the actual ’head’
arrangement is quite straight forward it is lifted up several leagues by the
quality and energy of the soloing by Blake and, then, Keezer.
M’s
Bedtime Stories is a co-write by Keezer and his wife, singer Gillian
Margot McMillan. It’s really an ‘outroduction’ and in a club setting, I would
expect each band member to be introduced in turn before they solo. It’s the
basic quintet plus Aayushi Karnak on guitar on this track, so don’t sit there
waiting for “J Arthur Rank on gong” would be my advice. It’s a swinging blues
designed to take us home and Keezer is the standout again. It gets a “Yeah!”
from me.
When I got to the end, I played it again, but louder. (The
neighbours have got the builders in; it’s payback time)
Playdate is released on August
12 and will be available worldwide on Aug 12 on the Geoffrey Keezer Bandcamp page as well as on streaming platforms everywhere. Dave Sayer
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