The heart of a jazz fan beats
like Fambrough's bass, driving the lifeblood of warm sounds through the
speakers and into the brain. Some bassists, in their own sessions, favor
percussive and percolating arrangements that place the instrument in the role
of soloist. Charles Fambrough actually seems to downplay the bass on Upright
Citizen, ceding the spotlight to guests like Grover Washington, Jr. and Joe
Ford. Fambrough's domain here is the rhythm section, adding programmed drums to
his basslines in order to get the right foundation in place. As the captain of
this ship, Fambrough ensures a smooth ride, absorbing the shock in Alex
Bugnon's potentially bumpy "In Stride" and making sure a track like
"D's Song" has the right amount of snap to it. Though Fambrough built
his reputation largely on bop, Upright Citizen is more of a crossover album,
lyrical and light on its feet. There are certainly stretches of substance, such
as George Duke's piano solo on "It's Not Easy Havin' Fun," but even
here the soprano sax washes away the intellectualism in a simple, cleansing
motion. This session doesn't completely qualify as smooth jazz; there's more
afoot than sweet sounds and mildly funky rhythms, yet even the most complex
passages are never far removed from an ingratiating and warmly rendered melody.
If you enjoy the sound of the soprano sax but find Kenny G a little light for
your tastes, Upright Citizen might be right for you. The disc was reissued by
Random Chance in 2002, with a different cover and slightly scrambled track order
that essentially flip-flopped the opening and closing songs, among other
things. The original 1997 Nu Groove recording is rich, vibrant, and clean, so
you can't go wrong with either copy. ~ by Dave Connolly.
NuGroove Records, NUG-3003, 1997
Random Chance Records, RCD-7, 2002
Musicians:
Charles Fambrough - Bass
(#1,2-4,6-9), Keyboards (#1), Programmed Drums (#3,4,7,8)
John Swana - Trumpet (#1),
Muted Trumpet (#6,8), EUI (#6,7)
Gerald Albright - Alto
Saxophone (#6)
Joe Ford - Soprano Saxophone
(#1-3,5,7,8)
Grover Washington Jr. -
Soprano Saxophone (#4,9)
Alex Bugnon - Piano (#1,5),
Keyboards (#1,5,8)
Bruce Barth - Piano (#2),
Keyboards (#2)
Mulgrew Miller - Piano (#3),
Keyboards (#3,4)
George Duke - Piano [Solo]
(#4), Keyboards (#4,6)
Rich Budesa - Piano [Solo]
(#8)
Bill O'Connell - Piano (#9)
Nick Sistrun - Guitar (#1)
Gerald Brown - Drums (#2,9)
N'Dugu Chancelor - Drums
(#4,6)
Pete Vinson - Drums, Poogie
Bell-Trumpet, Programmed Drums (#5)
Marlon Simon - Percussion
(#1,9)
Edson D'Silva (cafe) -
Percussion (#2,9)
Munyungo Jackson - Percussion
(#1,6)
Jon Lucien - Vocals (#2)
Tracks:
1. Fun City {Charles
Fambrough} (4:25)
2. Bright Eyes {Charles
Fambrough} (7:40)
3. D's Song {Charles
Fambrough} (5:04)
4. It's Not Easy Having Fun
{Charles Fambrough} (5:43)
5. In Stride {Alex Bugnon}
(5:01)
6. Disguises {John Swana,
Charles Fambrough} (7:59)
7. Dina {Charles Fambrough}
(5:09)
8. Down The Way {Charles
Fambrough} (4:17)
9. Main Street {Bill
O'Connell} (4:00)
Total Time: 46:18
Credits:
Producer - Charles Fambrough,
Stuart Alan Love
Executive Producer - David Chackler
