Just Released!
A Whisper Away
The first review is in!
"...hard-swinging, crisply articulated up-tempo tunes alternating with occasional ballads...the ensemble work is solid, the pieces...are well-crafted, and the soloing is swinging...."
-- Don Heckman, L.A. Times,1/17/1999Jerry Weldon: tenor sax;
Joe Magnarelli: trumpet;
Keith Saunders: piano;
Bim Strasberg: bass;
Clifford Barbaro: drums
Rokermotion (TCB 96352)
Jerry Weldon: tenor sax;
Joe Magnarelli: trumpet;
Keith Saunders: piano;
Bim Strasberg: bass;
Mickey Roker: drums
1. Rokermotion (B. Strasberg) 8:25
2. The Strike (K. Saunders) 8:04
3. More Than You Know (R.S. Albright, arr: J. Magnarelli) 9:23
4. "The Hip Naz" (J. Magnarelli) 11:22
5. El-Cee (J. Weldon) 6:03
6. Little Jake (K. Saunders) 6:31
7. East Of the Sun (V. Youmans, arr: K. Saunders) 8:42
8. Waat... (J. Weldon) 7:11
Jerry Weldon appears courtesy of Cats Paw Records
Joe Magnarelli appears courtesy of Criss Cross Records
"...Compelling--Three Stars" (The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Hard bop jazz bands have been filling album bins since the early 50's when trumpeter Clifford Brown, pianist Horace Silver and drummer Art Blakey launched their little rebellion against the cool, introverted musings of the likes of Miles Davis. Now, thousands of recordings later, we have The HardBop Quintet. So what?
Well, these youngsters from New York are very good -- not Brown and Blakey good (who is?), but full-formed bop with an edge --tenor and trumpet up front with a swinging backbeat behind them.
Led by pianist Keith Saunders, with Jerry Weldon on tenor and Joe Magnarelli on trumpet, The HardBop Quintet combines hard-bop standards from Lee Morgan, Silver and bop father-figure Dizzy Gillespie, with original compostions, to offer a compelling and very listenable approach to the music.
These may be young men -- all five were in college in the 80's, including bassist and former San Diegan Bim Strasberg -- but they offer impeccable hard-bop credentials. With Weldon and Magnarelli playing unison melody lines, then dropping into searing improvisations, The HardBop Quintet has the heart to go with its members' virtuosity.
"Rokermotion, " named after guest drummer Mickey Roker, is the title track, a fast-paced tune propelled by Roker's driving drums. Most tunes here are of this design -- up-tempo hard bop. Magnarelli takes a rich, dark turn on the lovely ballad "More Than You Know," with Weldon along for support.
--T. MICHAEL CROWELL
The San Diego Union-Tribune
September 13, 1996The Clincher (TCB 95202)
Jerry Weldon: tenor sax;
Joe Magnarelli: trumpet;
Keith Saunders: piano;
Bim Strasberg: bass;
Eddie Ornowski: drums
1. basia (Keith Saunders) 5:32
2. How Little We Know (P. Springer; arr: K. Saunders)
3. Leroy Street (Jerry Weldon) 8:51
4. Poor Little Birdie (Joe Magnarelli) 6:05
5. Goodbye (G. Jenkins, arr: B. Strasberg) 6:06
6. Cape Fearsome (K. Saunders, arr: E. Ornowski) 6:57
7. The Clincher (B. Strasberg, arr: E. Ornowski) 6:38
8. Blues from the Griddle (K. Saunders) 8:40
9. You and the Night and the Music (Schwartz/Dietz, arr: K.Saunders) 10:30
- The HardBop Quintet urges you to support all the fine artists on TCB Records and your local jazz record store.
- If your favorite retailer doesn't carry HBQ CDs, point them to the Allegro (our distributor) WWW site, or ask them to call Allegro at (800) 288-2007.
- Can't wait? Order Rokermotion and The Clincher directly from the band with this handy Order Form!
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