Home » Jazz Articles » Multiple Reviews » Bending the Mainstream: Harry Allen, Nicki Parrott & Edd...

Bending the Mainstream: Harry Allen, Nicki Parrott & Eddie Metz Jr.

By Elliott Simon
July 4, 2009
View read count


Nicki Parrott Fly Me to the Moon Venus Records 2009	The Eddie Metz Jr. Trio Bridging the Gap Arbors Records 2008

Stan Getz characterized the challenge that tenor saxophonists face as singing perfectly on an imperfect instrument.

Harry Allen

saxophone
b.1966

" data-original-title="" title="">Harry Allen takes up Getz' challenge with a beautiful instrumental voice that hearkens back to the wonderfully vocal playing of the master himself. While Allen has been a prolific leader over the past two decades he lends his resonant horn to two sessions that show the continued vibrancy of the mainstream. Bassist/vocalist

Nicki Parrott

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Nicki Parrott's Fly Me to the Moon places this first-call bassist in the context of a world- class band for a wonderful trip through a standards-based program that takes more than a few interesting turns. Parrott and Allen then join drummer Eddie Metz Jr. for Bridging the Gap, a swinging session that while likewise steeped in standards, veers off the straight-ahead bending into pop, rock and blues.

Nicki Parrott's bass playing is elegant yet contains a depth of expression that can both break your heart and increase your blood pressure. This, her second session as a leader for the Japanese Venus label, showcases her cool vocals and emotive bass alongside Allen's exquisite horn, pianist

John di Martino

piano
b.1959

" data-original-title="" title="">John di Martino's inventive improvising, sister Lisa Parrott's hot baritone and soprano sax playing, drummer

Billy Drummond

drums
b.1959

" data-original-title="" title="">Billy Drummond's easy swinging beats and guitar stylings of Mark Sganga. Allen's mellow horn is a delight and the perfect counterpoint to Nicki's vocals on ballads like "I Love the Way You're Breakin' My Heart" and "Do It Again". Perhaps more intriguing though are the band's performances of the non-traditional. These include their jazz/pop treatment of Stevie Wonder's "I Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer," a starkly beautiful "La Vie En Rose" and a tribute to the sisters' Australian birthplace with the coolest "Waltzing Matilda" on record.

The Eddie Metz Jr. trio consists of the leader's consistently in-the-pocket stick and brush work, Parrott's aforementioned artistic bass and

Rossano Sportiello

piano
b.1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Rossano Sportiello's piano, equally at home playing stride, classical, bop and straight-ahead. Allen's horn beautifully harmonizes with John Allred's versatile trombone on several of these cuts. Metz can swing with the best drummers but he does so in a way that promotes cohesion. The standards are here of course, with the piano trio initially gelling on Rodgers-Hart's "Falling in Love with Love" and Allen excelling on Irving Berlin's "Count Your Blessings". A swinging version of Steely Dan's "Bodhisattva," a sultry Parrott vocal on "One Less Bell to Answer," a bossa trombone treatment of Gino Vanelli's "Crazy Life" and Sportiello's stride side exposed on "Little Girl" make this release live up to its moniker in unexpected ways.

Tracks and Personnel

Fly Me to the Moon

Tracks: Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen; I Love The Way You're Breakin' My Heart; Do It Again; Fly Me To The Moon; La Vie En Rose; Waltzing Matilda; I Never Had A Chance; Evil Gal Blues; For All We Know; Charade; I Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer; Them There Eyes; Two For The Road.

Personnel: Nicki Parrott: vocal & bass; John Di Martino: piano; Lisa Parrott: baritone saxophone & soprano saxophone; Mark Sganga: guitar; Harry Allen: tenor saxophone; Billy Drummond: drums.

Bridging the Gap

Tracks: Falling In Love With Love; Huggin? Higgins; Overjoyed; I'm Old Fashioned; Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep); Bodhisattva; NER Blues; One Less Bell to Answer; The More I See You; Crazy Life; Little Girl; More Than You Know; Gotta Get a Hold of Myself.

Personnel: Eddie Metz Jr.: drums; Rossano Sportiellol: piano; Nicki Parrott: bass, vocal (8); Harry Allen: tenor saxophone (2, 5, 6, 8, 13); John Allred: trombone (2, 6, 8, 10, 13).

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Houston Person: The Wizard of Jazz A...
< Previous

Piano and Bass: Now Was the Time/Blu...
Next >

Harry Allen Concerts

Nov 22 Sat

Harry Allen & French’ment Jazz Quartet

Sunset-Sunside
Paris, France

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.