Smaller, more intimate ensembles rule Plate #3. I guess it was my mood, but I listened to a big band recording and just could not get into it. I don't often reject things out of hand so I waited and tried again. Nothing. For whatever reason, trios and quartets are more to my liking at the moment.
Tyler Summers Trio - Live At The Cellar
Hey, so the trio is actually a quintet. Sort of. In any event, there's a healthy dose of telepathic interplay on this disc. I particularly like how Summers plays his soprano sax (he plays alto as well) off of David Braid's piano on "Contemplation." There are also long-form compositions ("Solitary Candle") and tracks that build drama with inventive use of unison lines. "Patience" (my favorite track) is such a tune, torquing up the electricity with some exhilarating starts and stops. The back & forth between busted passages and straight ahead swing is a load of fun.
Dan Pratt Organ Quartet - Toe The Line
You just can't go wrong with the B-3. Saxophonist Dat Pratt might be running the show, but it's B-3 player Jared Gold who is the secret weapon here. Secret weapon #2 (Wait, is it OK to have two?) is trombonist Alan Berber. Go ahead and check out the snazzy unison play the three of them cook up on "Doppleganger." This repeated elsewhere including on "Uncle Underpants." Great song title and gorgeously-delivered composition.
Mike LeDonne - The Groover
Yeah! Again with the B-3, this time with sax, guitar, and drums. From swing ("Bopsolete") to smokey blues (And what self-respecting organ ensemble would sidestep the blues? Check out "Deep Blue," killer guitar solo by Peter Bernstein on this one), this group knows how to have a good time. The title track gets in that groove and burns. And speaking of fun, there's always the swingin' cover of Michael Jackson's "Rock With You" that opens the program.
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