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Cory Weeds Quintet: Live at Frankie's Jazz Club

By Jack Bowers
March 24, 2019
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Cory Weeds Quintet: Live at Frankie's Jazz Club

Yes, this is saxophonist/master of all livelihoods

Cory Weeds

saxophone, alto
b.1973

" data-original-title="" title="">Cory Weeds' quintet, the year is 2018, and the group is beyond a doubt Live at Frankie's Jazz Club in Vancouver, British Columbia. But close your eyes, open your ears and it's the unapologetic re-creation of a quintessential hard-bop session from the historic Blue Note / Prestige years of the 1950s-60s. Indeed, to underscore the point, the quintet's pianist is the venerable

Harold Mabern

piano
1936 - 2019

" data-original-title="" title="">Harold Mabern who actually performed and/or recorded back in the day with such giants as

Lee Morgan

trumpet
1938 - 1972

" data-original-title="" title="">Lee Morgan,

Jackie McLean

saxophone, alto
1932 - 2006

" data-original-title="" title="">Jackie McLean,

Freddie Hubbard

trumpet
1938 - 2008

" data-original-title="" title="">Freddie Hubbard,

Tina Brooks

saxophone, tenor
1932 - 1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Tina Brooks and a who's who of celebrated masters from a glorious age that may never return but whose legacy rests secure in the earnest hands of Weeds and his dexterous teammates.

The buoyant concert gets under way on an assertive note with Morgan's walking "Bluesanova" (introduced by

Michael Glynn

bass, acoustic

" data-original-title="" title="">Michael Glynn's resonant bass) and segues into

Mal Waldron

piano
1925 - 2002

" data-original-title="" title="">Mal Waldron's lyrical "Mood Malody" before delving into impressive original compositions by Brooks, McLean,

Walter Davis Jr.

piano
1932 - 1990

" data-original-title="" title="">Walter Davis Jr. and Swiss alto overseer

George Robert

saxophone, tenor
b.1960

" data-original-title="" title="">George Robert. Davis' three-quarter time "Formidable" is one of several highlights with the ensemble in lock-step to undergird perceptive solos by Weeds,

Terell Stafford

trumpet
b.1966

" data-original-title="" title="">Terell Stafford and Glynn.

Brooks' freewheeling "Up Tight's Creek," which follows, offers more of the same with Stafford's nimble trumpet brightening the landscape, Weeds in blue-chip form and Glynn adding another thoughtful statement. McLean, whose high-speed "Consequence" is heard earlier in the program, caps the evening with his sunny Caribbean-flavored "Tolypso" and "The Three Minors," whose irrepressible tempo and boppish licks epitomize the time in which it was written. Weeds, Stafford and Mabern are in superior form again, as is drummer

Julian MacDonough

drums
b.1976

" data-original-title="" title="">Julian MacDonough who adds another driving solo on "Consequence." Robert (Weeds' longtime mentor who died far too soon, in 2016) wrote the handsome ballad "Fabienne," on which Weeds is featured, Brooks the smooth, Latin-leaning "Gypsy Blue," wherein Stafford, Weeds and Mabern are at their self-controlled and lyrical best.

While tipping their hats to the past, Weeds and his able colleagues prove conclusively that music of this caliber is essentially timeless. A superior concert in every respect, one that should especially gladden the hearts of those who call to mind with fondness the short-lived but incomparable era of hard-bop jazz.

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Track Listing

Bluesanova; Mood Malody; Gypsy Blue; Consequence; Fabienne; Formidable; Up Tight��s Creek; Tolypso; The Three Minors.

Personnel

Cory Weeds

saxophone, alto

Cory Weed: alto saxophone; Terell Stafford: trumpet; Harold Mabern: piano; Michael Glynn: bass; Julian Macdonough: drums.

Album information

Title: Live at Frankie's Jazz Club | Year Released: 2019 | Record Label: Cellar Live

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