John Swana: Philly Gumbo

It seems like a case of the big fish swimming in a small pond. So while Philadelphia native John Swana currently chooses to make his home in the city of Brotherly Love, it's clearly evident that this world-class musician could succeed easily in the Big Apple, the undisputed center of jazz activity in America. Taking up the trumpet at the age of 11, Swana was hooked on jazz after one spin of a Dizzy Gillespie record. Lucky enough to get some on-the-job training at Philly's notorious Gert's Lounge, his formal preparation includes time spent at Temple University. Along the way the trumpeter has worked with scores of heavyweight jazzmen, with a partial listing including Don Patterson, Charles Fambrough, Peter Leitch, Mulgrew Miller, Kenny Barron, Christian McBride, and Tom Harrell.

Beginning with Introducing John Swana (Criss 1045) in 1991, regular Criss Cross followers have been fortunate to hear the trumpeter cultivate his art over the course of six singular and highly distinctive albums. On a previous release, The Feeling's Mutual (Criss 1090), John had the opportunity to commit to disc a group including Philadelphia players, namely guitarist Steve Giordano and organist Dave Posmontier. However, Philly Gumbo is the first date to feature a cast made up exclusively of some of Philadelphia's greatest jazzmen, and ones that Swana has shared an intimate working relationship with over the years to boot. He couldn't be more pleased to have had it all come together the way it did and says, "Everybody in this group is really like do or die; they put their heart into it and nobody comes and just phones it in."

Sharing the front line with Swana is tenor saxophonist Bootsie Barnes, a Philly stalwart who has fostered the local jazz scene and worked with everyone from the late Dizzy Gillespie to Bill Cosby. "I remember seeing Bootsie when I first got into jazz, back in 1980. I just think of him as the real deal," affirms Swana. "He's real honest, the way he plays, with no pretense and he's a real hard bopper. We play at a club called Ortlieb's every first Friday and Saturday of the month and have been doing that for the past couple of years."

At the core of the rhythm section is pianist Sid Simmons. "Sid used to play with Philly Joe Jones and Grover Washington, Jr." John informs. "From the early to mid-'90s, I played a lot of gigs in a quartet with Sid, James Hicks, and Byron Landham." Like all of the guys on the record, Simmons can hold his own in heavy company and Swana claims that "everybody kind of knows him in New York because they knew him from Berklee [College of Music], but he's a little too self-effacing for his own good." "But when he plays, you know it's him. I really feel that he has his voice."

A graduate of the Eastman School of Music and alumnus of the Buddy Rich band, bassist Mike Boone is a recording artist in his own right, with two discs out currently that feature both Swana and Landham. "I've played with him in so many contexts, playing contemporary gigs where he's playing electric, or real Latin gigs, or those crazy sessions where the drummer wrote things in 7/8 going to 6/8." "That kind of crazy stuff," John enthuses, "he just nails and he has great ears and I totally respect him."

Completing the line-up, we come to drummer Byron Landham, a charter member of Swana's previous Criss Cross release, Tug of War (Criss 1163), and an integral member of organist Joey DeFrancescos combo. "Byron I've known since he was real young," says John. "I love the way he plays; he's so earthy and organic. Everything comes out sounding so natural. He has his own voice and is going for a feel and it sounds so uncontrived when he plays."

Turning to the music, "Blues For Hicks" gets the pots on and the gumbo simmering with a standard blues progression given a twist by the not so standard use of a bar of three in the second measure. This slight wrinkle doesn't seem to phase these players one bit, with solos from Swana, Barnes ("I think Bootsie plays a great solo on this one," says John), Simmons, and a drum spot from Landham. Although one might assume this original pays homage to pianist John Hicks, its composer tells us that he had someone else in mind. "James Hicks," Swana explains, "was a bassist in Philly who had a great feel and he passed away over the summer."

With another nod to the Philly heritage of jazz bassists, Mike Boone's "Old Head" is dedicated to Arthur Harper. Previously recorded by Boone, this medium tempo line swings lightly, with the middle section sporting a figure that faintly recalls the classic hard bop of Art Blakey's "Blues March." John plays with mute in hand through the head and his ensuing solo, Barnes and Simmons then taking up the lead. Boone subsequently gets down to business over a vamp before the reprise of the melody.

Swana and Barnes go it alone for the opening of "Up Jumped Bootsie," the piece's jagged melody marked by some offbeat accents. "I called it 'Up Jumped Bootsie' because in the changes in the first eight bars, it almost sounds like the changes for "Up Jumped Spring" for a second, and then I wanted to name one for Bootsie," declares Swana. The tune's namesake certainly takes the opportunity to strut his stuff, contributing one of his more robust solos. Both Swana and Simmons have their own heated moments, as does Landham, contributing another one of his tremendously tuneful solos.

Living up to its title, "Soulful One" makes the most of an attractive line taken at a relaxed waltz tempo. "I originally wrote it in four and then I needed a ¾ tune," John says. "So, I tried to play the melody in ¾. In four it sounded more like a Blakey kind of tune and in three it sounded different. I guess I was thinking about my daughter and her mother and also my friend Trish, who just passed away." Following Swana's sincere opening statement, Boone takes a short solo before the trumpeter returns. Simmons is up next, and then we hear Swana riding out the closing vamp.

Stepping into the ballad spotlight, Swana picks up his flugelhorn for "John Wayne." "I call it that because the melody almost reminds me of John Coltrane's "Naima" and the changes remind me of a Wayne Shortertune. Further elaborating on the genesis of the chart, John explains, "a lot of times lately I've been composing with a tape recorder in the car, so I just start singing if something comes in my head. I think I was in Virginia on my way to some wedding gig and I heard the melody so I sang it in. Then I came back and figured out the changes and then Mike [Boone] helped out and filled in the rest of the changes on the bridge." Aside from a brief bass solo, this one is all John.

Mike Boone and Bruce Trojan composed "Better Late Than Never" and it has all the earmarks of a classic in the making, with Landham's Afro-Cuban drum beat serving as an opening and closing tag each time through the song's form. The title track from one of Boone's own albums, solo space is provided for Swana, Barnes, and Simmons.

Offering just a hint of irreverence in its title, Jimmy Heath's "Sound For Sour Ears" is basically an updated bossa nova, with the unusual addition of four bars of swing inserted just before a repeat of the central melody. "I wanted to get one Philly composer in there," John maintains, "but something that I had not heard in awhile." Simmons takes the opening gambit with one of his best solos, mixing juicy chords with horn-like lines in the right hand. Then, Swana and Barnes get to speak their piece prior to the final statement.

Taking its inspiration from a Pennsylvania highway that runs through Philadelphia, "The Schuylkill Express Way" is another imaginative Swana original. "The tune just reminded me of that expressway because as we were playing, it seemed a little frantic, "explains John. The tempo is certainly at the upper end of things, with Swana stepping out of the gates for the first round of solos. He paces himself well, his use of space proving to be just as important as his fluid bursts of notes. Barnes and Simmons are up next, before the front line trades eight bar phrases with Lanham and the head comes back to conclude the selection.

A suitable conclusion is provided by "Tot Ziens," which is Dutch for 'see you soon.' "That was just done with me, Mike, and Byron," Swana reveals. While Boone delineates the changes out of tempo, Landham fills with mallets on his toms, providing some earthy cymbal splashes along the way too.

So, the question still remains as to 'if' and 'when' Swana will leave his native city for bigger and better things in New York. "Not in the near future," he says without hesitation. "I think about it, but actually my goal now is just to try to get up there and hang out more often." In the meantime, Swana's ever-growing cadre of fans can rest assured that Criss Cross releases to come will keep them abreast of the latest developments.

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