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Paul Klinefelter: Night Mood

By Dan McClenaghan
April 7, 2010
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Connoisseurs of jazz trios led by pianists may be familiar with bassist Paul Klinefelter's contribution to

Ron Thomas

piano
b.1942

" data-original-title="" title="">Ron Thomas's superb Music in Three Parts (Art of Life Records, 2006). That particular piano trio outing, one of that year's finest, featured Klinefelter's big bass sound interacting in a three-way Zen dance with pianist Thomas and the extraordinary drummer Joe Mullen. Night Mood, by contrast, finds Klinefelter in the leader's seat on a set that mixes styles and shifts line-ups on a polished, top-level jazz disc.

This set of Klinefelter originals opens with the title tune, written in the mid-'80s when the bassist played with the

Steve Giordano

guitar
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">Steve Giordano Quintet. With that particular lineup back in place, "Night Mood" drifts in on a guitarist Giordano's zither-like guitar figure, joined by trumpeter Bob Meashey and flutist

Marc Adler

flute

" data-original-title="" title="">Marc Adler. The ballad floats beautifully, tethered by Klinefelter's in-the-pocket bass lines and drummer Joe Mullen's resonant percussive bustle.

"Hectic Street" bumps up the tempo and brightens the mood. It brings in the daylight on

John Swana

electronics

" data-original-title="" title="">John Swana's tangy trumpet, leading into a spirited piano solo by Terry Klinefelter (Paul's wife) rolling on the rollicking bass/drum rhythm. "Trouper Duke" conjures images of John Wayne on a lazy ride across a wide prairie, opening on Matt Davis' twanging western guitar and

George Rabbai

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">George Rabbai's relaxed trumpet blowing long elastic lines. Another highlight is "Stumblefunk," a tune that sounds like an outtake from the marvelous-but-overlooked

Miles Davis

trumpet
1926 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Davis/

Marcus Miller

bass
b.1959

" data-original-title="" title="">Marcus Miller collaboration Amandla (Warner Brothers, 1989). The mood here is streetwise but a bit ominous, with trumpeter Swana sounding very Miles-like on his muted horn in front of keyboardist Ron Thomas and Klinefelter supplying a turbulent electric urban feeling.

The disc closes in a sparer mode, going the piano trio route with Terry Klinefelter in the keyboard seat on "Room without a Window." The gorgeous sound begins with an inward look then cranks up the momentum to cook along in a bright 3/4 time. "Pastorale" teams the leader in a pensive, peaceful duet with pianist Thomas that plays like a closing prayer. It provides a folksy and approachable, yet cerebral, and perhaps spiritual conclusion to a fine set of music.

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Track Listing

Night Mood; Hectic Street; Trooper Duke; Stumblefunk; Blue Mountain Bossa Nova; Camel Humps; Room Without a Window; Pastorale.

Personnel

Paul Klinefelter

bass

Paul Klinefelter: acoustic and electric bass; Terry Klinefelter: piano (2, 7); Ron Thomas: piano, keyboards: (4, 8); Joe Mullen: drums; Bob Meashy: trumpet, flugelhorn: (1, 6); John Swana: trumpet (2, 4); George Rabbai: trumpet, flugelhorn (3); Marc Adler: flute (1, 6); Steve Giordano: guitar (1, 6); Matt Davis: guitar (3).

Album information

Title: Night Mood | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: Vectordisc Records

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