David Fathead Newman: LIFE

[ghost of miles]

Anybody else heard this yet? I'm listening to it right now--a sumptuous ballads album, with a fresh arrangement of "I Can't Get Started" and nice takes on "Alfie" and Hefti's "Girl Talk". So far it's striking me as another winner in Fathead's impressive streak of recent HighNote releases.

[Dan Gould]

Isn't this a tribute to John Hicks? I think someone posted about it not too long ago.

Fathead is at that point in his career where I think its very hard for him not to make a very good to outstanding recording. He's just so deeply into his horn and what he wants to do. Kind of like Teddy Edwards was towards the end of his life (here's hoping for many many more recordings from Fathead!).

[ghost of miles]

Yes, it is a tribute to Hicks--and Catesta posted notice of its pre-order listing in January. I paged through "New Releases" before posting, but not that far back... looks like others have been awaiting this with eagerness.

[kh1958]

To my tastes, the strongest tracks on the record are Come Sunday and Naima. Both are masterful.

[Lazaro Vega]

Will have to check those as "Alfie" 's'been the favorite. Did a night on Fathead this past Thursday and played many of his High Note releases. "Davey Blue" stands out, especially for "Cristo Redentor" (on alto). Think Fathead played a little gospel when he was with Ray? Also dug out a couple of the sessions he did with Jimmy McGriff -- unpretentious and swinging.

[sheldonm]

Very nice recording! David played several cuts off of it during the final two shows at the Jazz Showcase this past New Years Eve. He told me he's always been a fan of Hicks and wanted to do this for him.

m~