Mac Gollehon – Mac Straight Ahead – American Showplace Music 22223, 44:56 ****:
(Mac Gollehon – custom Harrelson trumpet, trombone, French horn; Sam Burtis – bass trombone; Ron Cuber – baritone saxophone; Greg Kogan – organ; Ron McClure – bass; Victor Lewis – drums (tracks 1, 4, 6-8), Warren Smith – drums (track 2); Jun Saito – drums (track 5))
Overdubbing and multi-tracking in the jazz arena has never been consistently applauded: see the criticism against Bill Evans’ album Conversations with Myself for example. Despite some objections, though, the use of technology to elevate the art of solo performing has not been abandoned.
Trumpeter and trombonist Mac Gollehon chooses the multi-track approach on his straightforward jazz project Mac Straight Ahead, and creates his own big band brass section coupled with an ensemble that includes bass trombonist Sam Burtis, baritone saxophonist Ron Cuber, bassist Ron McClure and organist Greg Kogan. Gollehon also employs three drummers who are spread out on the ten tracks: Victor Lewis, Warren Smith and Jun Saito. Gollehon may not be a household name but his horn is well known: he has recorded with Madonna, David Bowie, Mick Jagger and others on approximately 1,000 recordings. In the jazz community, Gollehon is probably best recognized for the time he spent in Lester Bowie’s Brass Fantasy as well as his work with Stan Kenton and Buddy Rich.
Mac Straight Ahead showcases Gollehon’s influences, with covers that range from Thelonious Monk to Roy Eldridge alongside three originals. Gollehon comes out swinging on a soulful arrangement of Eldridge’s “Fish Market” that has a bluesy slant. After a brassy intro, Cuber steps forward with his sandy baritone sound, followed by two Gollehon solos: first trombone and then muted trumpet. Gollehon cultivates his musical roots on two standards. “You’re My Thrill” demonstrates Gollehon’s voice-like trumpet and his trombone while McClure and Lewis hold down a mid-tempo rhythm that briskly moves along. “After You’ve Gone” takes things back to the days of Gillespie and Louis Armstrong with a racing arrangement fronted by Cuber’s heated contributions and Gollehon’s fiery brass work. McClure and Lewis are once again paired and play out a rambunctious beat.
Some of Gollehon’s finest horn talent is introduced during a fresh orchestration of Thelonious Monk’s “‘Round Midnight,” where Gollehon includes a pyrotechnical trumpet run worthy of Maynard Ferguson or Freddie Hubbard. Gollehon presents his melodic side on a symphonic rendition of Billy Strayhorn’s “Lush Life,” with some beautiful chorale treatments. Another brilliant moment is Mingus’ “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat,” highlighted by McClure’s Mingus-like bass, another first-rate Cuber solo and Kogan’s supportive organ.
Gollehon’s compositions are also notable. The title track is a straight-ahead swinger that dashes strongly with McClure’s fast walking bass lines, Lewis’ relentless drumming, yet another rousing Gollehon trumpet solo and Cuber’s insistent sax. Another Gollehon masterwork is “Strange Behavior,” which begins with an extended trombone and drums duet and then an aggressively swinging development with organ, trumpet and trombone. His emotional perspective is brought out on his nostalgic tribute, “Carol’s Song,” where Gollehon performs on open bell as well as plunger-muted trumpet, French horn and trombone. Gollehon’s romantic sadness stands out from the album’s mostly upbeat brightness and that gives this somber narrative added weight and depth.
Engineers Ben Elliott and Jeff Phillips have crafted an exceptional sound space for Gollehon and his bandmates. The overdubbing process never seems gimmicky and the one-man-brass unit results in an advantageous outcome, while the other instrumentalists are afforded auditory room to be heard upfront and vibrant.
TrackList:
1. Fish Market
2. Round Midnight
3. Lush Life
4. Mac Straight Ahead
5. Carol’s Song
6. Strange Behavior
7. You’re My Thrill
8. After You’ve Gone
9. The Good Life
10. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
— Doug Simpson
