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Amador County Barbera
Sobon Estate & Shenandoah Vineyard
1999
By David Ginochio
CaliforniaÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Shenandoah Valley is a wine region off the beaten path, with a sense of rugged individualism and an independent spirit. But lately, as more folks have discovered the beauty, rich soil and excellent growing conditions of Amador County, those with the means, but perhaps not the personal fortune necessary to set up shop in Napa have found their way here. Some of the newer tasting rooms I happened upon during a recent visit had a distinctively ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂwine country-ishÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ sensibility to them, with lots of white painted walls, Italian pottery for sale, and $40 and $50 bottles of wines not all particularly noteworthy.
Luckily, the Sobon Estate, and their sister winery, Shenandoah Vineyards among many others, are still around, making really nice wines out of numerous varietals , attractively priced, but certainly not ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂcheapÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ in any sense of the word. Shenandoah VineyardsÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ 1999 Amador County Barbera is a lush, ripe, mouth filling California wine with a distinctly Italian accent. You are greeted with scents of coconut and coffee, rushing to the surface, setting the scene for flavors of cassis, cola, cinnamon and cocoa, with a bracing acidity and a tantalizing tannic tug. A satisfyingly lengthy finish completes the experience for this well conceived and tasty Cal-Ital wine.
Score 88
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David Weiss
Breathing Room
Fresh Sound
By Ken Hohman
You have to admire the patience of David Weiss. For fifteen years he has resisted the impulse to release a debut disc, choosing instead to play a more collaborative role in projects. That choice has been a wise one for Weiss so far, as he has developed a reputation as a first class trumpeter, composer and arranger through performances with artists from Freddie Hubbard to Jimmy Heath, collaborations with Abbie Lincoln and Phil Woods and leadership in the critically acclaimed New Jazz Composers Octet.
But those years may well become known as the “pre-Breathing Room” years for David Weiss. Because along with being a great recording, Breathing Room sounds like a springboard for great things to come.
The influence of Wayne Shorter looms large over Breathing Room both in composition and execution. Weiss borrows from the Shorter muse with haunting themes, deceptive intros and tough playing, but he is far too restless an artist to settle for imitation. His own compositions like “Breathing Room” and “Dark Forces” deliver intelligently paced, emotionally charged hard bop that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Shorter gems like “Armageddon” and “Those Who Sit And Wait.”
It’s also hard to become bogged down in imitation when one has such restless and remarkable young talent as Marcus Strickland, Craig Handy, Xavier Davis, Dwayne Burno and E.J. Strickland on board. Marcus Strickland is far more extroverted here than he is on his fine debut At Last (Fresh Sounds FSNT 101CD), but that is precisely what is called for on driving hard bop tracks like “Kickback” and his own “Parallel Sonarities.” His bebop interplay with Weiss on “Sonarities” is just one of many memorable exchanges on Breathing Room. But where the superb playing of this sextet and the virtuosity of David Weiss reach their full synthesis is on the Weiss composition “Getaway.” Opening with an instantly memorable theme voiced by trumpet, tenor sax and alto sax, the horns coast on the inventive rhythms of E.J. Strickland until the surprise entrance of electric keyboard. This turns out to be a brilliant decision by Weiss, as Xavier Davis uses his deft touch and the spacey tones of the Fender Rhodes to open up a giant harmonic canvas for the soloists. Each of the players is up to the task, but it is Handy who colors his space most effectively, negotiating sharp turns and creating explorative lines that reach ever higher and higher.
After such fine performances, it’s almost superfluous that Weiss’s democracy of excellence ends on such a high note. Nevertheless, after a breathless exchange of solos, the cooker “Kickback” closes with a knot of intertwining horns that is the most fun of its kind since Lew Tabackin and Phil Woods locked horns on “Limehouse Blues” back in 1981 (Phil Woods/Lew Tabackin—Evidence ECD 22209-2).
Patience has certainly paid off for David Weiss with Breathing Room. With young artists like Weiss and company playing their hearts out, it’s a great time to be a jazz fan.
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