The Sneider Brothers – The Brockton Beat – Jawny & Bawby label, 51:12 ****:
(Bob Sneider, guitar; John Sneider, trumpet; Gary Versace, Hammond B-3; Mike Melito, drums; Special guest: Curtis Stigers, vocal on tr. 8)
Every once in awhile, a special unexpected treat appears for a jazz reviewer. Such is the case for The Brockton Beat, the new release for the Sneider Brothers. Bob and John self-released this CD, on which they honor their father, Henry Sneider, who passed away last year.
Bob is active in the Rochester, NY jazz scene, where he is the jazz guitar professor at Eastman School of Music, while brother John lives outside of New York City, is a producer at JSM Music and tours with Curtis Stigers. For their CD they elicited the help of Hammond organ ace Gary Versace, whom we miss in the Pacific Northwest, when he left for the Big Apple several years ago. Drumming duties are handled by Mike Melito, and for “The Hammers of Hell” (dedicated to their dad), Curtis Stigers’ husky bluesy voice is just right for describing the tough times their dad endured.
What is most striking about The Brockton Beat is that there are no weak songs, no filler added to flesh out a full CD release. From the opening title track, this CD swings effortlessly. The brothers blend well, as John’s trumpet chops are warm with mid-range brassiness, and Bob’s guitar lines are fluid and pleasing. Adding Versace’s Hammond organ brings funkiness and keeps the musical pot bubbling. Melito spurs the band on, and is a good foil for Versace.
The brothers even make Anthony Newley’s “Pure Imagination” a jazzy experience. Of course, “It Must Schwing” does, while “Par 3” goes straight down the fairway right at the pin stick. Fore!
The two standards, Hoagy Carmichael’s “I Get Along Without You Very Well,” and Cole Porter’s “From This Moment On,” are features for the brothers individually, with the former a gorgeous trumpet ballad by John, and the latter showcasing Bob’s guitar prowess. “Generations” honors their mom, and has a bit of a bossa nova feel. David Poe wrote the lyrics to the paean to Papa Henry, and the brothers add their talents to the melancholy gut bucket mood (“Hammers of Hell are falling like the rain..”)
The Brockton Beat is available through CD Baby and Amazon.com.
I highly recommend its purchase, as it is full of jazzy hooks and the guitar/trumpet/ Hammond blend is well recorded by Kent Heckman at Red Rock Recording.
Tracklist: The Brockton Beat, Pure Imagination, It Must Schwing, Par 3, I Get Along Without You Very Well, From This Moment On, Generations, The Hammers of Hell, Red Rock Blue
—Jeff Krow
Chet Baker – Late Night Jazz – Elemental Music
A tender exit…