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Paul Meyers: Paul Meyers Quartet featuring Frank Wess
ByThis is a rich, accessible recording. The production, by Meyers, ensures that the sound is clear and crisp, giving a remarkable clarity to the instruments, especially Meyers' guitar and Wess' tenor sax. Wess' tenor solo on the Meyers original, "One for Miss D," is an excellent examplethe solo stays close to the melody line but there is variation and inventiveness in it as well, and the production gives Wess' tone added warmth.
Andy Bey adds atmospheric vocals to John Latouche's and Jerome Moross' "Lazy Afternoon," one of the album's finest tracks. Meyers worked with Bey for 10 years and their close musical relationship comes across in this performance. Bassist Martin Wind and drummer Tony Jefferson provide a loose and relaxed rhythm, while Meyers punctuates his fluid guitar lines with sparse but effective use of harmonics. Bey's vocal sounds absolutely effortless, evoking the lazy afternoon of the title in masterly fashion.
"Menage a Bleu" is Wess' own compositiona slow blues in waltz time with the tenor sax given a harder edge than on most of the album. Again, this is an evocative tunebut this time it's evoking late night, funky jam sessions.
Paul Meyers Quartet featuring Frank Wess covers familiar territory, but it does so with quality, warmth and musical talent, and Meyers' arrangements ensure that the entire band swings from beginning to end. Amazingly, given how tight the musicians sound, this quartet had never played as a group before making the recordingwho knows what it may be capable of once the musicians get to know each other better.
Track Listing
Snibor; Blue Lantern; In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning; One For Miss D; Lazy Afternoon; Ménage à Bleu; Just One Of Those Things; My One And Only Love; Who Cares?; I Cover The Waterfront.
Personnel
Paul Meyers
guitarPaul Meyers: acoustic nylon string guitar; Frank Wess: tenor saxophone, flute; Martin Wind: acoustic bass; Tony Jefferson: drums; Andy Bey: vocal (5).
Album information
Title: Paul Meyers Quartet Featuring Frank Wess | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: Miles High Records