Time and time again, the Manhattan
Bop
Police have claimed that a
jazz
album isn't legitimate unless it is recorded in the 212 area code. But if that's true, why did so many
heavyweights -- from
Dexter Gordon
to
Bud Powell
-- spend so much time living and recording in Europe? Why have so many important
indies (
Steeplechase
,
Storyville
Owl
Black Lion
Timeless
, among countless others) had European addresses? The fact is that if you're a serious
connoisseur, your CD collection is probably full of recordings that were made in Europe.
Ray Brown
certainly spent plenty of time performing overseas; Ludwigsburg, Germany, in fact, is where
Brown
recorded
Summerwind
, a 1980 session that finds the acoustic bassist forming a quartet with tenor saxophonist
Johnny Griffin
(one of the reasons
musicians are proud to be from Chicago), pianist
Monty Alexander
, and British drummer
Martin Drew
. This hard-swinging combination of American, Jamaican, and British improvisers enjoys a strong rapport on a diverse program that ranges from
Ray Charles
'
"Hard Times"
to pianist
John Lewis
"Delaunay's Dilemma"
to the title track (a song that is closely identified with
Frank Sinatra
). The inclusion of a song associated with
Ol' Blue Eyes
should come as no surprise to admirers of
Alexander
, who has never made a secret of his passion for
Sinatra
's legacy. Nor has
made a secret of his love of
R&B
; one of the highlights of this CD is a piano trio performance of
the Crusaders
"Street Life"
(which
Griffin
is absent from). Although
are primarily an instrumental
group, they enjoyed a major
hit in 1979 when they featured singer
Randy Crawford
on
; on
, however, the tune works nicely as an acoustic
bop
/
soul-jazz
instrumental. This rewarding CD is well worth searching for. ~ Alex Henderson