NEW ON CD
‘St. Louis Shoes’ will
knock your socks off
"St. Louis Shoes"
Greg Osby
Blue NoteIt's the interplay between alto saxophonist Greg Osby and guest trumpet and fluegelhorn player Nicholas Payton that really sparks the fine modernist jazz heard on this album.
Their takes on two Duke Ellington tunes -- the opener "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo" and "The Single Petal of a Rose" -- show how easily the duo plays both together and against each other, taking the memorable opening melody of "Toodle-Oo" from 1927 and easily shifting it into a more contemporary zone, and moving with sensitivity within the romantic and prayerful mood of "Rose."
Osby and Payton do the same with the chestnuts "Summertime" and "St. Louis Blues."
The former's near abstract take -- once removed from the countryside -- casts the Gershwin standard in a new and welcome light, and the W.C. Handy chestnut is made malleable with a sly, almost lazily played arrangement that doesn't lose the spirit of the original.
The saxophonist also uses several compositions from previous employers and fellow musicians from his past. Dizzy Gillespie is given his due with an adrenalized version of the bebop standard "Shaw Nuff," and there is a smoothly executed take on Jack DeJohnette's "Milton on Ebony."
Osby also "sings" on his sax on "Whirlwind Soldier," a piece by former fellow M-Base Collective member Cassandra Wilson.
It showcases a gentler side to his rounded musical tone.
And let's not forget his excellent backup band, made up of bassist Robert Hurst (the Marsalis brothers), Harold O'Neal on piano and Rodney Green on drums. O'Neal is particularly good on Thelonious Monk's inquisitive "Light Blue."
The future of jazz looks bright, so long as there's a bit of "Osby-fying."
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