(Alvin Queen, drums; Manny Boyd, soprano, alto, and tenor sax; John Hicks, piano; Terence Blanchard, trumpet; Robin Eubanks, trombone; Ray Drummond, bass/producer)
The second welcomed re-release from Justin Time’s subsidiary features an Alvin Queen-led 1985 session from queen’s own label, Nilva. Jammin’ Uptown is a hard bop sextet recording with plenty of soul. It has present day uniqueness as it features Terence Blanchard and Robin Eubanks early in their careers as well as veterans Manny Boyd and Ray Drummond during the peak of their careers and lastly has a tinge of recent sadness as its pianist John Hicks just recently unexpectantly passed away. A bonus live track from 2001, Hear Me Drummin’, is added to the CD issue and will please percussion fans as it is a duo between Queen and conga player Hrvoje Rupcic.
Europia provides an opportunity for early Blanchard, and Terence shows his power on trumpet at an early age. Manny Boyd, a relatively unknown but active saxophonist who was featured on seven sessions in the 70s and 80s with many Blue Note artists including Bobby Hutcherson, contributes two compositions – the title track and Hassan. Most all the tracks here are hard charging with the exception of Resolution of Love, a Eubanks-penned ballad in which bassist and producer Ray Drummond bass is prominent and Queen’s brushwork is impeccable. Eubanks also shows here why he is a first choice sideman and active member of Dave Holland’s band; his trombone timbre has been compared favorably to the smooth tone of the master, JJ Johnson.
John Hick’s lyrical talents are on display on Hassan and his passing this past year was such a huge loss to the jazz community. Mention must also be made of the duo track from 2001 of Rupcic and Queen. It shows that sixteen years between 1985 and 2001 did little to diminish the still powerful Alvin Queen. Queen’s recent Enja release, I Ain’t Looking at You was favorably reviewed here in April 2007, and Alvin is still going strong. Let’s hope that the Just A Memory has a few more primo vintage 1980s Nilva LP releases to transfer to CD.
TrackList: Europia, Jammin’ Uptown, After Liberation, Mind Wine, Hear Me Drummin’, Resolution of Love, Hassan
– Jeff Krow
