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Dave Young / Terry Promane: Octet Vol. 2

By Jack Bowers
December 29, 2017
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Dave Young / Terry Promane: Octet Vol. 2

It's a sign of the economic times (and a steadily shrinking audience) that more and more jazz CDs are being released these days in the near-equivalent of a "plain brown wrapper." That's certainly true of Octet Vol. 2, the second recording by Canada's

Dave Young

saxophone, tenor
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Young /

Terry Promane

trombone

" data-original-title="" title="">Terry Promane ensemble. That does not mean, however, that the music enclosed therein is any less polished or pleasing than that produced by groups with far deeper pockets. Most of those in the octet (including trombonist Promane) are alumni of the late

Rob McConnell

trombone
1935 - 2010

" data-original-title="" title="">Rob McConnell's peerless Boss Brass. In Canada (and most other places), no more need be said about their awareness or expertise.

Although bassist Young never sat in with the Boss Brass, he has performed with an inclusive roster of notable musicians in Canada and other climes, from

Oscar Peterson

piano
1925 - 2007

" data-original-title="" title="">Oscar Peterson,

Clark Terry

trumpet
1920 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">Clark Terry and Sweets Edison to

Zoot Sims

saxophone, tenor
1925 - 1985

" data-original-title="" title="">Zoot Sims,

Oliver Nelson

saxophone
1932 - 1975

" data-original-title="" title="">Oliver Nelson,

Kenny Burrell

guitar, electric
b.1931

" data-original-title="" title="">Kenny Burrell,

Cedar Walton

piano
1934 - 2013

" data-original-title="" title="">Cedar Walton,

Hank Jones

piano
1918 - 2010

" data-original-title="" title="">Hank Jones,

Nat Adderley

trumpet
1931 - 2000

" data-original-title="" title="">Nat Adderley,

Gary Burton

vibraphone
b.1943

" data-original-title="" title="">Gary Burton,

Barney Kessel

guitar, electric
1923 - 2004

" data-original-title="" title="">Barney Kessel,

James Moody

woodwinds
1925 - 2010

" data-original-title="" title="">James Moody and others too numerous to mention. Young's teammates in the ensemble come equipped with comparable resumes, leading one to expect that their collaboration could be quite impressive.

While that presumption is by no means ill-advised, the listener may have to hang in there for a few moments before the album's more salient rewards come to the fore. This is, mind you, only one listener's unlearned observation, but it does seem from this vantage point that Young's low-key arrangement of the opener, Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning," performed as a gentle waltz, misses the mark, while

Charles Mingus

bass, acoustic
1922 - 1979

" data-original-title="" title="">Charles Mingus' composition, "

Duke Ellington

piano
1899 - 1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Duke Ellington's Sounds of Love," which follows, is melodic but more or less bland, in spite of an appetizing solo by alto saxophonist

Vern Dorge

" data-original-title="" title="">Vern Dorge .

The ensemble really finds its groove on Promane's exhilarating arrangement of "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" and kicks some serious butt the rest of the way. Tenor saxophonist

Mike Murley

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">Mike Murley, another BB veteran, is showcased on a sumptuous version of "Detour Ahead," Dorge, trumpeter

Kevin Turcotte

trumpet
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Kevin Turcotte and pianist

Dave Restivo

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Restivo on a pleasantly amped-down reading of

Dizzy Gillespie

trumpet
1917 - 1993

" data-original-title="" title="">Dizzy Gillespie's frenetic "Bebop." The second half of the program opens with

Michel Legrand

piano
1932 - 2019

" data-original-title="" title="">Michel Legrand's lovely ballad "You Must Believe in Spring" (on which Restivo and Young brighten the solo space) and continues on with Murley's galvanic original, "Can't You See," Alec Wilder's mystical "Moon and Sand,"

Duke Pearson

piano
1932 - 1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Duke Pearson's well-traveled "Jeannine" and

Cedar Walton

piano
1934 - 2013

" data-original-title="" title="">Cedar Walton's sauntering "Hindsight."

Promane is superb on "Moon and Sand," as he is (with Murley) on "Can't You See." And speaking of soloists, unless Dorge also plays baritone sax, he is credited with

Perry White

saxophone, baritone

" data-original-title="" title="">Perry White 's robust outing on "Jeannine," while drummer

Terry Clarke

drums
b.1944

" data-original-title="" title="">Terry Clarke's strong statements on "Anything But Love" and "Jeannine" aren't acknowledged. Be that as it may, every soloist, named or not, is razor-sharp and well worth hearing. The same applies to the group as a whole, and after a relatively unassuming start Octet Vol. 2 promptly rights the ship and maps out one of the year's more persuasive and engaging pocket-band performances.

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Track Listing

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning; Duke Ellington��s Sounds of Love; Detour Ahead; Bebop; You Must Believe in Spring; Can��t You See; Moon and Sand; Jeannine; Hindsight.

Personnel

Dave Young

saxophone, tenor

Dave Young: co-leader, bass, arranger; Terry Promane: co-leader, trombone, arranger; Kevin Turcotte: trumpet, flugelhorn; Vern Dorge: alto sax; Mike Murley: tenor sax; Perry White: baritone sax; Dave Restivo: piano; Terry Clarke: drums.

Album information

Title: Octet Vol. 2 | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Modica Music

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