Dave James Posted May 3, 2004 Report Share Posted May 3, 2004 Wanted to put in a plug for a new release that I have not seen mentioned as yet on the O.B. It's the new one from drummer Winard Harper on Savant Records called "Come Into The Light", a live date from 2003 recorded at "Cecil's" in East Orange New Jersey. If you're at all a fan of The Jazz Messengers (and who isn't) then this one's for you. Same instrumentation, drummer led etc. etc. Other than Harper, though, the players are not familiar to me; Brian Horton on sax, who has a roundness to his sound that's a bit reminiscent of Hank, Patrick Rickman trumpet, Jeb Patton piano and Ameen Saleem on bass. Like Blakey, Harper is one of the few drummers I've heard who can come close to turning the drums into a musical, as opposed to a rhythm instrument. I don't usually go too far out on a limb when it come to recommendations as they tend to get you in hot water, but I'd surprised if most of you folks wouldn't find this one to be surprisingly good. I've been playing it over and over since I picked it up on Friday. Just some good, straight up, old school hard bop. In the interest of full disclosure, I will tell you there is a two minute piece towards the end of the disc that consist of someone playing the thumb piano that doesn't exactly fit with the balance of the proceedings, but that's no more than a small pot hole in an otherwise kick ass road. Buy with confidence and ENJOY. Up over and out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted May 3, 2004 Report Share Posted May 3, 2004 Thanks Dave, one to look for when I head to Borders for the buy three get one free sale! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bright Moments Posted May 3, 2004 Report Share Posted May 3, 2004 i saw winard play earlier this year and he was SMOKIN! B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sal Posted May 3, 2004 Report Share Posted May 3, 2004 How does this one compare for "A Time for the Soul" from last year? I wanted to buy this one, but if the new live set is received more positively, I'll spring for that one instead. I would get both, but I've never heard any of Winard's music before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave James Posted May 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2004 Dan - Let me know what you think if you pick this one up. Sal - I have not heard the Harper disc you mentioned. The only other exposure I have to Winard is via the first CD he and his brother put out about 10 years ago called "Artistry". I thought that that was a good enough freshman effort that the two would be heard from again, but they really dropped off the radar. So, I just don't have enough information to recommend one CD over the other. For what it's worth, I must say I'd be surprised if "A Time For The Soul" outshone "Come Into The Light". It's that good. Up over and out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cali Posted May 4, 2004 Report Share Posted May 4, 2004 Thanks for the heads up. I've caught this band a few times and they are always on the one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcoliv Posted May 4, 2004 Report Share Posted May 4, 2004 i´m a Harper Brothers fanatic. Dave, get the "Live At The Village Vanguard" album from them. the best one IMHO. i had the chance to discuss with Stephen Scott last year, when he was in Rio playing with Ron Carter, and he was really surprised to learn that i love his work since he was playing with the Harper Brothers. Marcus Oliveira Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzkrow Posted May 4, 2004 Report Share Posted May 4, 2004 Winard and his group were in Portland a few weeks ago and played 2 smokin' sets at Portland State University in front of a small but appreciative crowd. He has to be the most exciting younger drummer around-his cymbal work combined with stick percussion was mindblowing! Patrick Rickman, his trumpeter has the chops of a young Freddie Hubbard. don't pass up the opportunity to see Winard!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrome Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 Jeb Patton piano I can't help wondering ... related to Big John? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 I had all the Harper Brothers Verve CDs and sold them later, I found them not original enough to keep. On the other hand, I have Winard Harper's Epicure CD (with his sometime boss David Newman among the guests) and enjoy it very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted May 7, 2004 Report Share Posted May 7, 2004 Wanted to put in a plug for a new release that I have not seen mentioned as yet on the O.B. It's the new one from drummer Winard Harper on Savant Records called "Come Into The Light", a live date from 2003 recorded at "Cecil's" in East Orange New Jersey. I don't usually go too far out on a limb when it come to recommendations as they tend to get you in hot water, but I'd surprised if most of you folks wouldn't find this one to be surprisingly good. I've been playing it over and over since I picked it up on Friday. Just some good, straight up, old school hard bop. In the interest of full disclosure, I will tell you there is a two minute piece towards the end of the disc that consist of someone playing the thumb piano that doesn't exactly fit with the balance of the proceedings, but that's no more than a small pot hole in an otherwise kick ass road. Buy with confidence and ENJOY. Up over and out. The thumb piano player was probably Winard Harper - he has tended to do that a little at each show I've seen of his, especially when he was with Pharoah Sanders. I've always enjoyed this band live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe M Posted May 13, 2004 Report Share Posted May 13, 2004 Winard's last couple of records on Savant don't sound so "major label neo-bop" as the Harper Brothers cds did. One thing that bugs me about this new live one is the piano sound. Does anyone else hear that? I see that Don Braden is listed as the engineer. Maybe someone can give him some tips for microphone placement, as it really sounds, well, not awful, but at times it's pretty bad. Good music though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave James Posted May 13, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2004 Joe - You're right about the piano. It sounds "tinny" to me. I thought it might just be the quality of the instrument itself...Lord knows any pianist is at the mercy of the house 88, but you may be correct that it's really a miking / recording issue. Up over and out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Bresnahan Posted May 13, 2004 Report Share Posted May 13, 2004 Jeb Patton piano I can't help wondering ... related to Big John? Jeb Patton is the very young white guy behind Jeremy Pelt. If he's related to Big John, it's through a couple of generations! BTW, I caught Patton at Birdland where he was in the band backing Jimmy Heath. The kid can cook. Later, Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe M Posted May 13, 2004 Report Share Posted May 13, 2004 Joe - You're right about the piano. It sounds "tinny" to me. I thought it might just be the quality of the instrument itself...Lord knows any pianist is at the mercy of the house 88, but you may be correct that it's really a miking / recording issue. Up over and out. It sounds to me like a mic issue. Look on the back cover of the record and see how they've got all the blankets on the lid of the piano? I know what they're trying to do, but it's not working! Then again, this is the first record that I know of recorded at Cecils, so it might take a while to work out how best to record in that room. It really is an art. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted May 16, 2004 Report Share Posted May 16, 2004 Well, I finally foundd this at the last Borders I went to, and I have to second Dave's recommendation. This is an excellent, hard-swingin', hard boppin' concert. My only caveat is the African rhythm instruments on the title track-for me, a little of that goes a long way. But otherwise, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sal Posted May 17, 2004 Report Share Posted May 17, 2004 And I must add my voice as well. I picked it up on Dave's recommendation, and I am greatly enjoying it as well. Just some good ol' hard-swinging jazz, just the way I like it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_forumlogo.png.a607ef20a6e0c299ab2aa6443aa1f32e.png)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.