Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » P.J. Perry Quartet: Alto Gusto

P.J. Perry Quartet: Alto Gusto

By Jack Bowers
November 20, 2017
View read count

Scanning an album that bears the name Alto Gusto, a prospective listener may be forgiven for assuming that it consists of a series of upbeat themes designed to cause toes to tap, fingers to snap and the heart rate to soar. And once it becomes clear that that is not what Canadian alto saxophonist

PJ Perry

saxophone
b.1941

" data-original-title="" title="">PJ Perry's quartet had in mind, it would be quite plausible for him or her to wonder what had happened.

The answer to any such uncertainty may be resolved in part by the fact that gusto has another definition beyond "vigor" or "zest," and that is "enthusiasm" or "pleasure." Yes, it's true that the tempos on Perry's album are by and large laid-back to moderate (an exception is

Dizzy Gillespie

trumpet
1917 - 1993

" data-original-title="" title="">Dizzy Gillespie /

John Lewis

piano
1920 - 2001

" data-original-title="" title="">John Lewis' snappy "Two Bass Hit"), but there's no doubt that Perry embraces each number with the utmost enthusiasm while he takes great pleasure in charming the audience at Edmonton's Yardbird Suite, where the session was taped in May 2017.

These are songs, Perry writes, that were important to him in his formative years, before he went on to forge a long and successful career as a leader and sideman with such celebrated ensembles as

Rob McConnell

trombone
1935 - 2010

" data-original-title="" title="">Rob McConnell's Boss Brass while earning Canada's prestigious Juno Award for his album My Ideal and earning Jazz Report magazine's Critic's Choice award as Best Alto Saxophonist for a record seven years in a row (1993-99).

The group opens with bassist

Paul Chambers

bass, acoustic
1935 - 1969

" data-original-title="" title="">Paul Chambers' carefree "Ease It" and closes with

Charlie Parker

saxophone, alto
1920 - 1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Charlie Parker's loping bop anthem, "Quasimodo" (a.k.a. "Embraceable You"), on which Perry imparts a number of subtle phrases that surely would have brought a smile to Bird's face. Between them are compositions by

John Hicks

piano
1941 - 2006

" data-original-title="" title="">John Hicks ("After the Morning"),

Benny Golson

saxophone, tenor
1929 - 2024

" data-original-title="" title="">Benny Golson ("Stablemates") and Carl Fischer's tender-hearted evergreen, "We'll Be Together Again." The last number, "Close Your Eyes," is not the standard by that name but an original by Bernice Petkere. While there's nothing here to set one's hair on fire, Perry and his talented cohorts (pianist

Jon Mayer

piano
b.1938

" data-original-title="" title="">Jon Mayer, bassist

Steve Wallace

bass, acoustic

" data-original-title="" title="">Steve Wallace, drummer

Quincy Davis

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Quincy Davis) have mapped out more than an hour of persuasive blowing that pleases from start to finish.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Ease It; Close Your Eyes; After the Morning; We��ll Be Together Again; Stablemates; Two Bass Hit; Quasimodo.

Personnel

PJ Perry

saxophone

P.J. Perry: alto saxophone; Jon Mayer: piano; Steve Wallace: bass; Quincy Davis: drums.

Album information

Title: Alto Gusto | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Cellar Live

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Diane Schuur at Birdland
< Previous

Flow
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.