Pat LaBarbera/Kirk MacDonald Quintet – Trane Of Thought Live At The Rex CellarLiveCL07819 71:21****1/2
John Coltrane’s music played with resonant artistry
( Pat LaBarbera – tenor saxophone; Kirk MacDonald- tenor saxophone; Brian Dickinson – piano; Neil Swainson – bass; Joe LaBarbera – drums)
Since the late 1980s, The Rex Hotel Jazz & Blues Bar has been at the forefront of Toronto’s thriving jazz scene. On October 11 & 12, 2019, The Rex presented their annual John Coltrane Tribute which featured the Pat LaBarbera/Kirk MacDonald Quintet. For those who attended this event, they were treated to a couple of magical evenings that were devoted to the music and memory of that great musician.
Those who live in Toronto but did not participate in this stellar event, plus those readers who live far beyond the confines of that fine city, there is an alternative and a terrific one at that. Jazz impresario Cory Weeds had his independent record label CellarLive produce a live recording from that same venue,with the same musicians, for the same event, but recorded on September 20 & 21, 2018.
The musicians who participated both in the event and the recording are mostly well established in Canada, but might not be so well-known beyond its borders. Here is a thumb mail sketch of each:
Pat LaBarbera: born in the US where he received his musical education and began his early career with the big bands of Louis Bellson, Woody Herman and most importantly Buddy Rich from 1967-73.He was part of the band’s sax section and one of its featured soloists and can be heard to good effect on several Buddy Rich albums including“The New One” and “Keep The Customer Satisfied”. He moved to Toronto in 1974 and has been an integral part of the city’s jazz scene.
Kirk MacDonald: born in Nova Scotia, but moved to Toronto in 1977 to study music at Humber College. Worked with some of the finest musicians in jazz including Harold Mabern, Sonny Greenwich and Pat LaBarbera.
Brian Dickinson: a mainstay on the Canadian jazz scene for over thirty-five years. As a sideman he has worked with Randy Brecker, Lee Konitz, and the Woody Herman Band during his long career.
Neil Swainson: born in British Columbia but moved to Toronto in 1977. A leading Canadian jazz player since the 1980s, working with Tommy Flanagan, and Woody Shaw. His longest association was with George Shearing where he was a part of Shearing’s final Quintet after which he and Shearing travelled the world as a duo from 1986 to 2011 and recorded several albums including “Dexterity” and “A Perfect Match”.
Joe LaBarbera: the younger brother of Pat LaBarbera, he grew up in Mount Morris NY and received his musical education at the Berklee College Of Music. Worked with many of the leading jazz players, including Bill Evans where along with bassist Marc Johnson they formed the final Bill Evans Trio starting in 1979 until Evans death in 1980.
The music performed for this recording was composed of Coltrane compositions, with the exception of the first track which was Tadd Dameron’s “On A Misty Night” a number closely associated with Coltrane. After a couple of run throughs of Dameron’s beautiful melody, and a short piano lead in from Dickinson, bassist Neil Swainson gives an extended example of his strongly effective bass lines. After this, each tenor tells their story, either together or separately, in a beautiful fashion that is filled with technical fluency and intriguing harmony.
As most of the tracks are around the ten minute or longer mark, the players have ample opportunity to show their dexterity and improvisational capabilities such as on “Village Blues”. Framed in a standard twelve bar blues format, the band has a warm swagger that is carefully paced. Strongly supported by Joe LaBarbera’s confident rhythmic flow, brother Pat as well as MacDonald and pianist Dickinson investigate eloquently the material.
In 1959, Coltrane composed “Naima” for his then wife Juanita Naima Grubbs and the number first appeared on Coltrane’s landmark recording Giant Steps. Forgoing the standard opening to the composition, LaBarbera and MacDonald indulge in some duo improvisation without the rhythm section, before picking up the ballad theme with its always altering shapes and ample harmonic sweep. Pianist Dickinson is especially effective with a very thoughtful solo, as does bassist Swainson.
The final track is “Acknowledgement/Resolution” which are Movements 1 & 2 from A Love Supreme. Considered by many as epitome of Coltrane’s compositions, the band acknowledges the proud muscular genesis of the piece. Pat LaBarbera, with insight and creative assurance, brings a melodic coherence to “Acknowledgement”. On “Resolution” Kirk MacDonald propels himself into the theme with a rich and colourful lyricism, as if he was a sonic designer.
As Chris Wong writes in the liner notes “Pat and Kirk, express through their horns, their depth of feeling for John Coltrane’s music and above all, their own resonant artistry”.
TrackList:
On A Misty Night
Village Blues
26-2
Naima
Impressions
Acknowledgement/Resolution
—Pierre Giroux
