Bennie Wallace

Like his younger contemporary James Carter (and Joe Lovano, for that matter), tenor saxophonist Bennie Wallace seems able to reference a panoply of jazz legends in his playing. He's got the octave leaps that Eric Dolphy made his own, and a swing-era sense of full-bodied tone and breathy playing, to boot. His renditions of standards on Old Songs, then, sound alternately like Ben Webster, Sonny Rollins, and some genetic hybrid of about six other saxophonists. This set finds tenor sax master Bennie Wallace at the top of his form, putting his indelible stamp on a program of timeless classics. Bennie is joined by Lou Levy, Alvin Queen and Bill Huntington.

Bennie Wallace has long been known for his sudden interval leaps and somewhat angular approach, and this studio date is no exception, though it focuses exclusively on standards written between the 1930s and 1950s. The tenor saxophonist chose two top-caliber musical partners, pianist Kenny Barron and bassist Eddie Gomez, to join him on his excursions, all of which are delightful. Barron's blues-drenched piano sets the table for Wallace's mournful sax in "Willow Weep for Me," while Gomez provides a series of intriguing responses to the leader in an anything but hackneyed treatment of "Cocktails for Two." Hoagy Carmichael's warm ballad "The Nearness of You" is clearly in the hands of three masters as it is recast with a distinctively modern touch. This is easily a high point in Bennie Wallace's long career.

Bennie Wallace has always been kind of an oddball. His sound (as everybody will tell you) points to the thirties but his harmonic ideas point to the sixties and seventies. He love New Orleans music, the blues, a well-played ballad but then his soli are full of odd phrases and twists and turns. This is a typical Wallace CD- a nice mix of originals by him and Corea, and a standard or two. His tenor sound is big, powerful and his ideas a nice mix of swing and post-bop. Corea sounds traditional in comparison but his playing is wonderfully adapted to Wallace's style.

This Blue Note album is a classic. Although tenor-saxophonist Bennie Wallace was originally thought of as an avant-gardist, his large tone (in the tradition of Ben Webster) and roots in Southern music always made him stand out from the crowd. On this inspired project, Wallace, trombonist Ray Anderson, and guitarist John Scofield are well-showcased in R&Bish and funky settings with such musicians as pianist Dr. John, Bob Cranshaw, or Eddie Gomez on bass, Jack DeJohnette, Chris Parker, or Bernard Purdie on drums, and (during two numbers) blues guitar legend Stevie Ray Vaughan. To hear the lead voices rocking out on "Is It True What They Say About Dixie," "Tennessee Waltz," and "Trouble in Mind" is a unique experience, and Wallace's lively cadenza on "Twilight Time" steals the show.

True Audiophile: Best of Groove Note is basically a fancy name for the Super Audio CD label sampler. Groove Note Records began releasing jazz and blues recordings in 2005. They've also expanded their vision and have begun to re-release rare tracks by vintage artists and look to genre-bending vocalists in order to showcase excellent music coming from the jazz and blues traditions.

True Audiophile: Best of Groove Note is basically a fancy name for the Super Audio CD label sampler. Groove Note Records began releasing jazz and blues recordings in 2005. They've also expanded their vision and have begun to re-release rare tracks by vintage artists and look to genre-bending vocalists in order to showcase excellent music coming from the jazz and blues traditions.

McClain sings soul with incredible power – he knows when to pull the punches and when to cool it down. "Give It Up to Love," the title track, acknowledges his gospel roots; he performs it as a vocal prayer to God asking for wisdom, love, and strength. Bruce Katz's contributions on B-3 Hammond organ expands McClain's sound, particularly on the "Green Onions"-influenced "What You Want Me to Do." The sparsely effective arrangement on "Here I Go Falling in Love Again" brings McClain up front as he cries of being a soul stripped to the bare bones. Kevin Barry's funky bass blows while McClain declares himself as a child of God in "Child of the Mighty Mighty".

Recorded on August 13, 14 & 25, 1992 at Sound On Sound, New York City.

Recorded on August 13, 14 & 25, 1992 at Sound On Sound, New York City.