(Eddie Daniels, clarinet and tenor sax; Joe Locke, vibes; Tom Ranier, piano; Dave Finck, bass; Joe LaBarbera, drums)
Recorded live at New York’s famed Iridium jazz club in October 2006, Eddie Daniels revisits his old stomping grounds on his new IPO release, Homecoming. Born in Brooklyn, he attended the High School of the Performing Arts in Manhattan, just five blocks from the Iridium. Eddie was also a member of the brilliant Thad Jones/Mel Lewis saxophone section from 1966 to 1973, which played weekly at the Village Vanguard in Manhattan. Now living in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Daniels’ trip back to the Big Apple was rare as he has not lived in New York for more than 15 years.
The highlights on this two CD set are mostly Eddie’s playing on clarinet and the less impressive tracks are the burners with Daniels on tenor. Joe Locke’s vibes mastery is very evident on this issue but many times the enjoyment Joe provides is marred with background scatting. It is difficult to tell who is doing the vocalizing, but it is distracting.
West Coast pianist Tom Ranier is exemplary whenever he is soloing, his playing both fleet and lyrical. Ranier’s composition, Resolution, is beautiful, and as Daniels played with both the MJQ and Gary Burton, this composition has a Modern Jazz Quartet feeling, much like chamber music jazz.
Returning to MJQ territory we find two highlights of this set, Roger Kellaway’s aptly named, Déjà Vu MJQ, and the John Lewis masterpiece, Django, where again Locke shines. Warm Valley, a personal Ellington favorite, is done just right as both Daniels and Ranier, give the song the poignancy that it deserves.
Added bonuses to Homecoming are radio edits of Django and two other tracks. Also, as usual the IPO gatefold cardboard jewel case presentation is first rate, both with the requisite abstract art covers that IPO uses regularly, as well as the impeccable photos of band members combined with Ira Gitler’s scholarly liner notes.
– Jeff Krow
