With the release last month of Truth And Beauty by jazz organ wunderkind Sam Yahel, we discovered a maturing talent finding his own voice in the crowded field of Hammond B-3 players. But how does Yahel sound when he's just jammin' with the boys? The same boys found on Truth And Beauty, in fact?
There is such a document of that scenario from five years ago, and it's called Yaya3 (or "Yaya" cubed).
YaYa3 was formed by happenstance. Yahel had a gig at the NYC club called Small's and his guitarist Peter Bernstein (who deserves his own spotlight in this space) couldn't make it one night. So Yahel was able to call up a sax player friend of his to fill in. The friend? That would be none other than Joshua Redman. Brian Blade stayed put behind the drum kit, but instead of it being "The Sam Yahel Trio," the band transformed into a cooperative. A cooperative they called "YaYa3," after a nickname of Sam's.
Warner Brothers, Redman's record label at the time, jumped on the opportunity to capture the magic created by the three heavyweights, and brought them into the studio for a one-off collaboration under this moniker. The result is the album we're chatting up, here.
So, how do these two albums by the same personnel — but with different purposes — compare to each other? While Truth could be considered a serious-minded record, YaYa3 finds these same three men feeling loose and in more or a jamming mood. It's tempting to call this a no-nonsense blowing session, and in fact, I'll come right out and say that it is. The songs, all originals contributed by the band members (five of the nine tracks by Yahel), stick within the confines of advanced bop.
But all the nuances that graced Truth can be found here. Listening to this record you understand that these guys are good and there's a summit meeting going on. Repeated spins of this record reveal more and more layers of depth. Like, for instance, Blade's perfectly-timed flourishes. Or Redman's soulful swinging. Or Yahel's ebbing and flowing.
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Article comments
1 - Mark Saleski
hmmm, i've definitely gotta check out this Yahel guy. the world can always use a little more B-3. seriously.
2 - Enlightened Planet
I thought I was the only one who knew about this CD...! Guess I will have to chase down Truth and Beauty, which somehow escaped my notice. Please keep the good reviews coming...
3 - Pico
Appreciate the comments, guys. Yes, YaYa3 is pretty obscure, but it's hard to understand why.
4 - Michael J. West
Wow. Yeah, like Mark, I've never heard of this one before, but it sounds great! Amazon and I are making a date even as we speak. :-)
Danke schoen, Pico!