Drew Jr

Ronnie Cuber - In A New York Minute (1995) {SteepleChase SCCD31372}
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© 1995 SteepleChase Productions ApS | SCCD 31372
Jazz / Bop / Post Bop / Baritone Saxophone

In A New York Minute is good enough. Drew is an elegant foil, Cuber brought five originals to the date, and the playing is felicitous. By the end, though, the record's run out of steam, and "Sophisticated Lady" and "Caravan," the most overworked pieces of Ellingtonia, are unwelcome choices.

Turrentine with Kenny Drew, Jr. (keyboards), Dave Strykier (guitar), Dwayne Dolphin (bass), and Mark Johnson (drums).
Stanley Turrentine was a 'monster' tenor player with a fantastic sound, a magnificent technique and a great jazz feel. On this album he is backed by a superb rhythm, that matches the mood both of the piece and of Turrentine perfectly. Whether it’s the gentle ballad style of "I Haven’t Got Anything Better to Do" or the funky "Don’t Mess with Mr. T.", they get it just right.

When many of the bop-based Young Lions who emerged in the '90s made it known that they were only interested in playing in the tradition and that they had no interest in avant-garde experiments, Jack Walrath insisted that he was playing out of the tradition and didn't shy away from an inside/outside approach. Walrath isn't as radical as Lester Bowie, but he certainly isn't as conservative as Wynton Marsalis, either. One of the many impressive albums he provided in the '90s, Journey, Man! finds the trumpeter leading a band he called Hard Corps and employs a cast of players you'd expect to find on a hard bop date, including Bobby Watson (alto sax), Craig Handy (tenor and soprano sax), Kenny Drew, Jr. (piano), Ray Drummond (bass), and Victor Lewis (drums)…

When many of the bop-based Young Lions who emerged in the '90s made it known that they were only interested in playing in the tradition and that they had no interest in avant-garde experiments, Jack Walrath insisted that he was playing out of the tradition and didn't shy away from an inside/outside approach. Walrath isn't as radical as Lester Bowie, but he certainly isn't as conservative as Wynton Marsalis, either. One of the many impressive albums he provided in the '90s, Journey, Man! finds the trumpeter leading a band he called Hard Corps and employs a cast of players you'd expect to find on a hard bop date, including Bobby Watson (alto sax), Craig Handy (tenor and soprano sax), Kenny Drew, Jr. (piano), Ray Drummond (bass), and Victor Lewis (drums)…

On his debut effort Evidence, Cody Moffett is supported by his brother Charnett Moffett, Ravi Coltrane, Kenny Drew, Jr., and brothers Antoine and Wallace Roney for run-throughs of mostly standards. While each of these players is accomplished, their abilities are, at times, covered up by Cody Moffett's over-drumming. Because of this, he sounds like he was trying too hard to prove his status among the elite of jazz drummers. There's no doubt Moffett is fine behind the trap set, but Evidence leaves the listener wishing he had focused more on the material and less on showing off his chops. All of that said, there are some nice performances on the album where Moffett plays with the band instead of over them, as in the nice reading of John Coltrane's "Equinox" and the lovely ballad "Beautiful Love".