Like most instruments, the
baritone saxophone has a strong legacy in jazz history. Musicians such as Harry
Carney, Gerry Mulligan, Serge Chaloff, Cecil Payne, Nick Brignola, Pepper
Adams, Scott Robinson, and Gary Smulyan have all developed the horn into a
nimble, expressive solo instrument. These great musicians provide the legacy
for younger musicians to draw from as they develop their own marks on the
music. Frank Basile is a prime example. For his third release Frank has
assembled some of the finest players who he has collaborated with in New York
over the past decade.
‘I met Fabien in December
2006 when I was playing in Caen, a town in Normandy, with the Dizzy Gillespie
All Star Big Band, Frank says. 'After the gig, some of us went to sit in at the
jam session at Camion Jazz which is an amazing jazz club housed in an empty
semi-trailer in the middle of a field. I first heard Fabien there and I was an
instant fan. Washington, D.C. native Alex Hoffman has been in New York since
2005, Frank knows him from gigs around New York. 'Whenever he plays, I say to
myself, 'Why didn't I think of that?'' Like Basile and Mary, his playing is
astute while pulling no punches. The rhythm section has similar tenure on the
New York music scene. Drummer Pete Van Nostrand was born in Binghamton, New
York, has been around NYC since 2000. Pianist Ehud Asherie was born in Israel
in 1979, and lived in Italy before moving to New York when he was nine. Bassist
David Wong is a New York City native. He and Frank first met in 2001 when both
were at Juilliard. These musicians share a respect for the mainstream jazz
tradition that continues to excite listeners and attract talented young
musicians to a music that has been dominant since decades before they were
born. They're also dedicated to move the music forward with their
improvisations and fresh approaches to standard repertoire and their own (in
this case Frank's) compositions. Frank's horn arrangements have that classic
sound, too; I hear strains of Tadd Dameron, Shorty Rogers, and Horace Silver
throughout. The 'classics' presented here cover a broad spectrum. 'João'
is by Clare Fischer, a canny bossa nova dedication. 'Venita's Dance' is
from Kenny Dorham's classic Afro Cuban. 'The Gypsy' has been played by
the likes of Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, and Quincy Jones, but Frank
prefers a recording by Sonny Stitt with Oscar Peterson; he plays this ballad
with just the rhythm section. 'Project S' is one of Jimmy Heath's many
great lines, and 'Smoke Gets in Your Eyes' is an up-tempo arrangement
that Frank has written and revised over the past few years. Frank's tunes fit
in like hand in glove. 'The High Desert,' sounds like a line that would
fit a Woody Shaw or Joe Henderson band. Listen how Mary's horn lifts the
ensemble here on the theme. 'Fountain City Bounce' was named after a
recent Kansas City-based tour of the Midwest, and was inspired by the writing
on the 1962 Impulse! Record, Count Basie and the Kansas City 7. The fleet 'Modern
Inventions' is named for a favorite Donald Duck cartoon that Frank used to
enjoy with his dad. If one needed evidence that jazz was in good hands, this
Frank Basile Sextet should provide all the proof that is needed. ~ Extract by Roger
Atkinson, JAM
Magazine, Kansas City.
Frank Basile Music, 1st
August, 2012
Recorded 13th April, 2012 at
Tedesco Studio, Paramus, New Jersey
Musicians:
Frank Basile - Baritone
Saxophone
Fabien Mary - Trumpet
Alex Hoffmann - Tenor
Saxophone
Ehud Asherie - Piano
David Wong - Bass
Pete Van Nostrand - Drums
Tracks:
1. The High Desert {Frank
Basile} (6:51)
2. João {Clare Fisher} (6:18)
3. Fountain City Bounce
{Frank Basile} (7:15)
4. Venita's Dance {Kenny
Dorham} (7:20)
5. Modern Inventions {Frank
Basile} (4:21)
6. The Gypsy {Billy Reid}
(6:58)
7. Project S {Jimmy Heath}
(7:13)
8. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
{Jerome Kern, Otto Harbach} (5:42)
Total Time: 51:59
Credits:
Producer - Frank Basile
Engineer - Tom Tedesco
Mixing and Mastering - Jon
Rosenberg
Cover Photo - Myriam Garnier
Layout and Design - Jared
Stone
Liner Notes - Roger Atkinson
