David Sills, Michael Kanan - The Sweetest Melody (2012)

"Another believer in the concept that swing is essential, ballads are a thrill, and blues is part of the vocabulary, is Southern California tenor man Sills. This is his seventh CD (in my collection), and I've long been an admirer of his musicianship, choice of material, and past playing mates such as Alan Broadbent, Gary Foster, and others. This time around, David and his classic, gor­geous tone have encountered pianist Michael Kanan in a duo setting." ~ George Fendel, Jazz Society of Oregon. 

Gut String Records, GSR009, 2012 

Musicians:
David Sills - Saxophone
Michael Kanan - Piano 

Tracks:
01. Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams {Harry Barris} (5:01)
02. All The Things You Are {Jerome Kern} (7:33)
03. Gone With The Wind {Allie Wrubel, Herbert Magidson} (6:23)
04. Get Out Of Town {Cole Porter} (6:33)
05. Blues In Ten {David Sills} (5:09)
06. Sweet And Lovely {Gus Arnheim, Harry Tobias, Jules Lemare} (4:45)
07. I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart {Duke Ellington} (6:43)
08. I'll Be Seeing You {Irving Kahal, Sammy Fain} (6:57)
09. How Little We Know {Carolyn Leigh, Philip Springer} (5:21)
10. Stairway To The Stars {Mitchell Parish, Matt Malneck, Frank Signorelli} (5:51)
11. Milestones {Miles Davis} (6:32) 

Total Time: 66:54 

I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart

David Sills - Blue's The New Green (2013)

Saxophonist David Sills opens his Blue's the New Green with tenor sax titan Sonny Rollins' tune, "No Moe." But Sills doesn't use Rollins' musculature or his burly tone. He rolls more in the mode of sax men Joe Henderson or Stan Getz - or, to take it back further, Coleman Hawkins or Ben Webster, with a smooth, vibrato-less delivery. Sills is steeped in the tradition of those who came before him, without being mired there. As in previous outings, Eastern View (Origin records, 2004) and Green (Origin records, 2007), the saxophonist leads a crack band, with the extra textures of a piano/guitar pairing. Guitarist Larry Koonse has been a mainstay in Sills' recordings. He and pianist Chris Dawson intertwine their clean lines on Sills original, "The Highline," with veteran bassist Darek Oles and drummer Jake Reed laying down the loose groove. The Great American Songbook tune "'Tis Autumn" gives the band the chance to work beautifully in the ballad mode, sounding a bit retro; while Sills' "Justin Dime" cranks things into a modern roll. Sill's plays flute on his "Portofino Night," a tune that sounds cool and Bossa Nova-sish, with Dawson supplying a delicate keyboard touch to Koonse's warm acoustic guitar, before the band pushes again into a modern lean with the stylish "Night Flower," another Sill's penned gem. Sills always blows with a lot of soul, and the title tune is no exception. His solo here has a precise logic, and his tone and serpentine phrases bring saxophonist George Coleman to mind, while "I'm a Fool to Want You," from the American songbook, brings in the wee hours, melancholy beauty of a saxophone blowing pure blue notes over a subtle backing. Blue's the New Green is another beautiful addition to saxophonist David Sill's consistently outstanding discography. ~ by Dan McClenaghan, AAJ. 

Gut String Records, GSR 013, 2013
Recorded 5th & 6th June, 2013 at Big City Recording Studio, Grenada Hills, California 

Musicians:
David Sills - Saxophone, Flute (#5,10)
Chris Dawson - Piano
Larry Koonse - Guitar
Darek Oles - Bass
Jake Reed - Drums 

Tracks:
01. No Moe {Sonny Rollins} (7:50)
02. The Highline {David Sills} (5:57)
03. 'Tis Autumn {Henry Nemo} (6:35)
04. Justin's Dime {David Sills} (4:53)
05. Portofino Night {David Sills} (6:45)
06. Night Flower {David Sills} (5:32)
07. Blue's The New Green {David Sills} (7:33)
08. I'm A Fool To Want You {Joel S. Heron, Jack Wolf} (8:44)
09. Belmont Shores {David Sills} (5:18)
10. Blues In Ten {David Sills} (6:19) 

Total Time: 65:31 

Credits:
Producer - David Sills
Mixing & Mastering - Paul Tavenner
Cover Design - James F. Dean