Warhorse One

Offered at auction with no reserve, serial number 0940 from Classic Records limited edition Deluxe 1S Edition set of audiophile grade re-issues of 10 RCA Living Stereo LPs. The sound quality of these Classic Records re-issues is legendary. All 10 LPs are brand new, still in the original sealed outer sleeves. Each bears a serial number label as on the box, showing the number 0940.

The members of the Zurich Ensemble are Fabio di Càsola (clarinet), Kamilla Schatz (violin), Pi-Chin Chien (cello), and Benjamin Engeli (piano). The ensemble’s web site doesn’t indicate when it was founded or even whether this is its first CD. (This is, however, the only CD listed on ArkivMusic’s site, so draw your own conclusions.) Be that as it may, this is a thoroughly delightful CD, headlined by a clever arrangement of Rimsky-Korsakov’s enduring warhorse, and complemented by the less familiar works by Khachaturian and Sergei Bortkiewicz.

Hadley Caliman recorded a few albums in the 1970s, then didn't record as a leader for several decades until after retiring from his teaching job, then came a series of CDs issued by Origin, of which this is the third. This reunion with fellow tenor saxophonist Pete Christlieb marks their first opportunity to play together since the mid-'60s, aside from one brief meeting in the 40-plus-year stretch leading up to this record date. Many two-tenor sax sessions end up being battles, but the two veterans are old friends who aren't trying to top one another and instead focus on inspiring each other's playing. The potent rhythm section includes pianist Bill Anschell, bassist Chuck Deardorf, and drummer John Bishop, all seasoned players who provide excellent support throughout the date. There's plenty of fire in the rousing workout of "Love for Sale." The very deliberate setting of "I Thought About You" features some of Caliman's most powerful solo work, while the two tenor men have a ball in the loping treatment of Freddie Hubbard's timeless jazz waltz "Up Jumped Spring." The bulk of the CD features strong original compositions. Caliman contributed the vibrant "Comencia," blending a slight Afro-Cuban flavor in a brisk bop vehicle, as well as the hypnotic "Gala," which proves to be the most dramatic performance of the session.

Reunion showcases a couple of old saxophone pros diving deep into the jazz mainstream, backed by an energized rhythm section. Tenor men Hadley Caliman and Pete Christlieb worked together on the Los Angeles Central Avenue jazz scene back in the 1960s, at a club called Marty's, where Caliman was the mentor. Forty-plus years later, they're back together again, on an absolute jewel of a straight-ahead offering.

Their union in the Boneshakers was fairly short-lived, but together guitarist/songwriter Randy Jacobs and vocalist Sweet Pea Atkinson put together two powerful, rockin' funk and soul albums and entertained some lucky audiences who became Boneshakers themselves on dance floors across the U.S. Atkinson was born in Oberlin, OH. After working 14 years as a Chrysler assembly line worker, he left his job to pursue a music career, singing for such Detroit R&B groups as the Exquisites and Energy. While with Energy, he worked with Detroit producer Don Was (then unknown). He has also sung with industry heavyweights Elton John, Lyle Lovett, Bonnie Raitt, Neil Diamond, and Brian Wilson.