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Jake Langley: Here and Now
By
Wes Montgomery
guitar1923 - 1968
First, the relative break from the past means that Langley sounds much more relaxed, less cultivated and more sinewy and decidedly more inventive. As for as the overall sound, a lesser keyboardist might try but organist

Sam Yahel
organ, Hammond B3
Joey DeFrancesco
organ, Hammond B31971 - 2022
This makes for a very interesting interplay between guitarist and B3 organist. And then there is drummer Ian Froman, who seems to have captured his role to break and caress the skins with telepathic grace. His ability to create showers of splashes on cymbals when called for and machine-gun rim shots when the music demands it, as well as rattle and hum on the toms and snares, is legion. It appears, then, that Langley has lucked in on a terrific cohort, where there is as much symbiosis in the interplay as there is fine content.
It is this factor that provides Langley the springboard to reinvent himself. Now the guitarist shows he has no favorite part of the fret board. He wails in the upper registers with the same facility as he moans, growls and chatters on the lower frets. His dynamics have always been admirable and now he adds a softer, more thoughtful touch to his playing, almost delaying the notes to will a certain sound from the strings.
There are many special moments on the record. "L-Train" features delicate fret work from Jake Langley, as well as shimmering bell like tones and textures from Froman, paying special attention to his ride cymbal. "Singularity" rejoices with some delightful yelping from Langley, as he pursues Yahel, who glides his way through the song's harmony with glorious diminished tones. "2012," far from being a futuristic exercise, finds Langley and Yahel in a friendly aerial duelLangley playing in crisp single notes and Yahel with polytonal blocks that rattle and thump.
The surprises are the covers:

Charles Mingus
bass, acoustic1922 - 1979
Track Listing
Here and Now; L-Train; Singularity; 2012; Goodbye Pork Pie Hat; The Ropers; If You Could Read My Mind; Blues On The Corner; You Must Believe In Spring.
Personnel
Jake Langley: guitar; Sam Yahel: Hammond B3 organ; Ian Froman: drums.
Album information
Title: Here and Now | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: Self Produced
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