Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Harold Mabern: Mr. Lucky
Harold Mabern: Mr. Lucky
ByPart of the blame here surely goes to tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander who dutifully states the melody at the beginning of almost every track. "Soft Shoe Trainin' With Sammy" opens with the tune played straight, with little intonation or excitement. Further into the song he opens up a little on his improvisations, but he never catches fire. Alexander is never an especially emotive playerhe's more of a cold bop technicianbut here, even when he's playing hard all he's doing is adding more notes. Alexander is a solid player, but as with many of his own recordings, he needs to stretch out, challenge himself and connect with something deeper.
Still, Mr. Lucky is not completely without its charms. The title track swings pretty hard, and even Alexander yells the tune with some verve. Mabern's improvisations throughout are energetic and well-crafted, if carrying weight commensurate with the material. The rhythm sectionbassist John Webber and drummer Joe Farnsworthis impeccable, and Farnsworth, in particular, has really good taste, never over- playing and placing his accents just where they belong. On the two tracks where Alexander lays out "Hey There" and "What Kind of Fool Am I"Mabern goes a little deeper into the material and delivers fine performances. Recorded in the Van Gelder studio, the sound quality is first-rate.
But, in the end, Mr. Lucky is disappointing. This is a really talented band, capable of far greater than what was turned in here. Put this one on during a dinner party. It's lively and it won't offend anyone, but it doesn't say anything either.
Track Listing
The People Tree; As Long As She Needs Me; Soft Shoe Trainin' With Sammy; Hey There; I've Gotta Be Me; Mr. Lucky; What Kind of Fool Am I; Night Song; Something's Gotta Give.
Personnel
Harold Mabern
pianoHarold Mabern: piano; Eric Alexander: tenor saxophone; John weber: bass; Joe Farnsworth: drums.
Album information
Title: Mr. Lucky | Year Released: 2012 | Record Label: HighNote Records
< Previous
Florence + The Machine with The Macca...
Next >
Jazz Near You Needs You!