Rahsaan Barber – The Music In the Night – Jazz Music City

by | Apr 2, 2018 | Jazz CD Reviews

A pleasurable amalgam of sounds that shows curiosity in accessing the contours of melody and harmony. 

Rahsaan Barber – The Music In the Night – Jazz Music City 56:12***

( Rahsaan Barbersaxophones; Matt Endahlpiano; Jack Aylorupright bass; Derrek Phillipsdrumset; special guests: Dara Tuckervocal #4; James DaSilvaguitar #710

Rahsaan Barber, is a slick saxophonist who is an integral part of Nashville’s pulsating music scene. In this session of easily recognizable compositions, he and the band have shown their curiosity in accessing the contours of melody and harmony, to deliver a pleasurable amalgam of sounds under the title The Music In the Night.

Stylistically it is difficult to situate Barber’s playing although he does possess a well-constructed intonation and easy phrasing. As the band opens with Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” Barber’s playing shows that those previously mentioned traits are readily demonstrated. Butch Warren was a hard bop bassist in the 50s and 60s who played with Dexter Gordon, Jackie McLean and Thelonious Monk. His best known composition “The Backbone” was recorded by Dexter Gordon on the album A Swingin’ Affair. Barber gives it a boppish treatment playing with fearsome authority, with pianist Endahl demonstrating he is no slouch on the keyboard, and bassist Aylor also putting his big tone to work.

The Rodgers and Hart gem “My Funny Valentine” is grounded as a reggae influenced ballad that is intensely centred, yet shows some of Barber’s muscularity without distracting from the emotional character of the number. The only vocal track on this release is the Hoagy Carmichael/Johnny Mercer jazz standard “Skylark” performed poignantly by Dara Tucker, backed by Barber’s soprano saxophone which dashes and soars behind the vocal.

Rounding out the album is two versions of “The Girl From Ipanema” and another Carmichael favourite “Georgia On My Mind”. The first iteration of the Ipanema is a done as the expected samba version with Barber on soprano saxophone. However the addition of James DaSilva on acoustic guitar that adds another musical voice that provides some depth to the interpretation of the Antonio Carlos Jobim favourite. The reprise version is more of an étude on the number that has a soulful insight and is decidedly more ruminating. Georgia is deep in a rough hewed blues mode with some nasty electric guitar riffs from DaSilva. Barber’s tenor sax is down and dirty throughout the number to terrific affect.

TrackList: Isn’t She Lovely; The Backbone; My Funny Valentine; Skylark; The Shadows And The Rain-Interlude I; She’s Out Of My Life; Serenading The Moon-Interlude II; The Girl From Ipanema; Georgia On My Mind; The Girl From Ipanema (Reprise)

—Pierre Giroux

Rahsaan Barber, Music In The Night

 

 

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