Jazz

The latest releases reviewed

FRANK MORGAN
Bop! Telarc ***

Morgan's recent passing must be the reason for the reissue of this late-1990s quartet session, which placed the veteran Bird-man with a younger rhythm section in Rodney Kendrick (piano), Curtis Lundy (bass) and Leroy Williams (drums). The title says it all. The repertoire, by Parker, Gillespie, Davis, John Lewis and Monk (three), plus one standard (Lover Man, of course) is archetypal bop fare. While Morgan didn't have Bird's rhythmic genius, imagination or passion as a soloist - few even came close - bop was in his DNA. He was in a buoyant mood on these unpretentiously swinging sessions and, if no great heights were reached, neither were no depths plumbed. Kendrick was much in thrall to Monk on these sides - maybe it was what he thought was required - but the rhythm section is fine. One for fans. www.musicconnection.org.uk

VIRGINIA MAYHEW
A Simple Thank You Renma ***

Mayhew, voted a Rising Star (on soprano) in last year's Downbeat critics poll, is better known as a capable, New York-based, straight ahead tenor, writer and arranger. She lives up to that reputation with this well-crafted, swinging septet date. With the exception of drummer Victor Jones and trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, who guests on two tracks, the others are not well known. Since this is New York, that still means high-level competence, which is put into a different perspective only by the sheer class that Jensen brings to bear on the title track (by bassist Harvie S, an excellent soloist) and on Mayhew's I Thought You Loved Me, which mixes rubato with a brisk 3/4. The comparison is a bit unfair, but Jensen is clearly head and shoulders above every other front liner here, both in the ensemble and as a soloist. www.renmarecordings.com

TOLVAN BIG BAND
Code Red Prophone ****

Malmö's Tolvan Big Band, one of the best in jazz, is well served here by the group's guiding light, writer- arranger Helge Albin, and his fellow multi-reedman and writer- arranger, Cennet Jönsson. Each contributed three pieces for this latest recording, with Albin arranging another composition by the orchestra's pianist, Jacob Karlzon. Albin's writing is perhaps the more colourful and complex. Jönsson's contrapuntal scoring on the two longest and finest performances, the playful Cats and Dogs and a marvellously swinging Antelope Dance are as good as anything on the album (and Peter Asplund's flugelhorn and Inge Petersson's tenor are delightful on the latter). Albin, whose writing is influenced by classical music, gives Jönsson a beautifully coloured feature in the slow Subconscious C and digs into his jazz roots for a brisk, if uneven, Going Bananas. www.prophonerecords.se  

© 2008 The Irish Times