Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Tom Rizzo: Day and Night

Tom Rizzo: Day and Night

By Jack Bowers
May 18, 2017
View read count

The names in guitarist Tom Rizzo's starting lineup on Day and Night indicate that this is a West Coast-based group, an observation that is borne out in Rizzo's bio, which says he is "active [on] the Los Angeles music scene" and served as guitarist for the Tonight Show band when Jay Leno was at the helm, reinforced by the song "Heart of L.A.," one of Rizzo's four original compositions.

Rizzo's tentet, featuring some of the Los Angeles area's leading sidemen (trumpeter

Bob Summers

trumpet
b.1944

" data-original-title="" title="">Bob Summers, trombonist

Nick Lane

trombone

" data-original-title="" title="">Nick Lane, saxophonists

Bob Sheppard

saxophone, tenor
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">Bob Sheppard and

Jeff Driskill

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">Jeff Driskill among them), appears on five tracks, with Rizzo's quartet on the other half-dozen. Lane and Sheppard (tenor) solo smartly on

Stevie Wonder

vocals
b.1950

" data-original-title="" title="">Stevie Wonder's "Living for the City," and Sheppard on Vincent Youmans' "Without a Song," performed in flag- waver mode. Aside from that, the larger ensemble is on hand to provide body and color. Rizzo—whose chops, by the way, are beyond reproach, as is his luminous sound—solos most often, sharing blowing space with pianist

Dennis Hamm

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Dennis Hamm on the quartet numbers. Hamm, best known for his sorties into Latin jazz, is perfectly at home here, designing a number of trim and stylish ad libs.

The choice of music is eclectic, to say the least. Besides "Heart of L.A.," Rizzo wrote "School Days" (which sounds much like the song written by Gus Edwards way back in 1907), the doleful, Western-tinged "Lonesome Cowboy" and "Matt and Kelly," a laid-back postscript to Henry Mancini's haunting "Moon River," which ends the session. Also on the menu are

Cole Porter

composer / conductor
1891 - 1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Cole Porter's "So in Love,"

Wayne Shorter

saxophone
1933 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Wayne Shorter's "Infant Eyes" (whose engaging melody has less impact when played at a languid tempo), guitarist

Peter Bernstein

guitar
b.1967

" data-original-title="" title="">Peter Bernstein's genial "Little Green Men" and

Ornette Coleman

saxophone, alto
1930 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">Ornette Coleman's "Law Years."

Before closing, a word should be said about bassist

David Hughes

bass, electric
b.1971

" data-original-title="" title="">David Hughes and drummer

Steve Schaeffer

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Steve Schaeffer who round out the quartet in splendid fashion. If this is not a working group it probably should be. And if Day and Night isn't widely heard that's no fault of Rizzo, who has sculpted a handsome album that is sure to please most jazz-directed ears.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

School Days; House of the Rising Sun; So in Love; Infant Eyes; Little Green Men; Without a Song; Lonesome Cowboy; Heart of L.A.; Law Years; Living for the City; Moon River / Matt and Kelly.

Personnel

Tom Rizzo

guitar

Tom Rizzo: guitar; Bob Summers: trumpet; Bob Sheppard: tenor sax; Jeff Driskill: soprano sax; John Dickson: French horn; Doug Tornquist: tuba; Nick Lane: trombone; Dennis Hamm: piano; David Hughes: bass; Steve Schaeffer: drums.

Album information

Title: Day and Night | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Origin Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Caroline Davis
< Previous

Burn The Boat
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.