John Stetch – TV Trio – Brux 14112, 50:30 ****:
(John Stetch – piano; Doug Weiss – bass; Rodney Green – drums)
The concept of doing a jazz album of television themes seems like an unappealing gimmick, the jazz equivalent of the alternative music compilation Saturday Morning: Cartoon’s Greatest Hits. But on TV Trio, Canadian pianist John Stetch takes familiar American boob tube theme songs and uses their melodies as points on his wide-ranging improvisational compass. Essentially, Stetch reminds jazz listeners that a good melody can be found anywhere and that a talented musician can use mundane pieces of music as artistic guideposts. Many musicians have tackled television theme music in improvised settings before, so the notion is nothing new, but rarely has anyone used such subject matter in such an engaging manner.
Stetch is more than capable of exercising his idea and building it into an auspicious post-bop venture. The keyboardist has been steadily raising his stature as a performer and a composer, winning major competitions and awards and releasing several well received albums. With TV Trio, Stetch stretches his inventiveness into stimulating directions and the dividends pay off .
Good-natured interpretations that burst with wit and whimsy enable Stetch, bassist Doug Weiss and drummer Rodney Green to swing, romp and emote humorously. The original version of “This Is It,” made famous by the wise-cracking Bugs Bunny, brims with a conscious mirth. The trio gives the playful piece a pulsing pathway that boasts lightning fast keyboard runs and Green’s bustling rhythmic assets. Another delight is a straightforward take on “Rocky and Bullwinkle,” which dashes along at a jaunty meter and has some fleet shifts in the beat. As a change-up, the three musicians take the usually rambunctious “The Flintstones” and turn the tune completely around, modifying it into a medium-paced, ruminating rendition.
Stetch also reworks material written by notable composers. During Jerry Goldsmith’s “The Waltons,” Stetch displays an Oscar Peterson influence, using an elegant and intricate approach. The trio begins in a dissonant fashion on Oliver Nelson’s “The Six Million Dollar Man,” moves to a persuasive pensiveness, and settles on a mid-tempo, traditional jazz focus that allows room for each player to assert some solo space. The compact disc ends with an iconic solo piano reading of Quincy Jones’ “Sanford and Son,” where Stetch does some Art Tatum-styled flourishes that again proves and confirms that Stetch’s project is a serious jazz outing, albeit one with a certain “Nick at Nite” nostalgic inclination.
One quibble about the credits. “The Mighty Hercules” is credited to Howard Shore, whereas the music for the 1960s short animated sketches were actually authored by Winston Sharples. Obviously someone got the television cartoon theme confused with the orchestral arrangement written by Shore, which is about a plane – not a Greek action hero – and comes from The Aviator soundtrack.
TrackList:
1. The Waltons
2. This Is It (Bugs Bunny)
3. Star Trek
4. Dallas
5. Love Boat
6. The Six Million Dollar Man
7. Rocky and Bullwinkle
8. The Mighty Hercules
9. The Price Is Right
10. All My Children
11. The Flintstones
12. Sanford and Son
— Doug Simpson
