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Jerry Weldon – Those Were The Days – CellarLive

Jerry Weldon – Those Were The Days – CellarLive

by | May 28, 2018 | Jazz CD Reviews

Not quite at the “chicken shack” level but still a solid groove. Jerry Weldon – Those Were The Days – CellarLive CL011218 56:53***: ( Jerry Weldon – tenor saxophone; Kyle Koehler – Hammond B-3 Organ; Colby Inzer – drums; Daniel Sadownick – percussion #2,3,6) Like flowers in the spring, journeyman tenor saxophonist Jerry Weldon has popped up with his first CD release for the Canadian label CellarLive called Those Were The Days.  Anchored in a Hammond B-3 organ setting, Weldon with his hard bop style, makes the most of the orchestra-like possibilities flowing from Kyle Koehler’s B-3 keyboard propelled along by drummer Colby Inzer, as well as the occasional percussion excursions of Daniel Sadownick. The set list is covers of mostly recognizable popular and jazz tunes, with one original number from Weldon called “Sunny V”. This number moves along with a nice sense of swing to which Sadownick’s congas add a Latin muscularity to Weldon’s full tone. “Love Won’t Let Me Wait” was a big hit in 1975 for Major Harris a former member of The Delfonics. Fleshed out here with a solid groove, Weldon digs out his inspiration from the soul/R&B foundations of the number with Koehler’s B-3 showcasing […]

Azar Lawrence & Al McLean – Frontiers – CellarLive

Azar Lawrence & Al McLean – Frontiers – CellarLive

by | Jan 7, 2017 | Jazz CD Reviews

Azar Lawrence & Al McLean – Frontiers – CellarLive CL 073116, 72:22 ***:  A gritty outing from two like-minded spirits. (Azar Lawrence – tenor saxophone; Al McLean – tenor saxophone; Adrian Vedady – acoustic bass; Paul Shrofel – piano; Greg Ritchie – drums) For a period in the ‘50s and ‘60s, groups led by two tenor saxophone players seemed to hold some caché. For example there was the group led by Al Cohn and Zoot Sims, another by Bill Perkins and Richie Kamuca and a further group with Gene Ammons and Eddie ‘Lockjaw’ Davis. This type of group iteration fell out of favour without much fanfare, as such things often do. The concept has been rejuvenated with the combination of Azar Lawrence and Al McLean for the album Frontiers issued by the Canadian label CellarLive. As for the music played on this session, in addition to several originals by the band’s front line, the majority of the tracks were penned by either John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk or Freddie Hubbard. Of equal import is the musicians themselves. Azar Lawrence is an American musician who has released a number of album under his own name, but may be best remembered as the […]