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Bill Cunliffe: Tomo
As with It's About Love, the music on Tomo is gentle and relaxing. Offering a handsome set of twelve tunes, the group of saxophonist Bob Sheppard, guitarist Larry Koonse, pianist Bill Cunliffe, bassist Darek Oles, and drummer Mark Ferber evoke the softer sides of jazz, though always mindful of a jovial beat. The bop sensations of "All My Love's for You" begin the engagement with Sheppard's tenor highlighting the group's charm. The bossa nova-like "I Will Always Love You," "Did I Ask You If You Knew?" and "Someday, I Will Find Her" are more romantic pieces, with guitarist Koonse enjoying a prominent role in their seduction.
Here and with most of the album's content, there is a persistent, welcoming trait in Kotler's musichis nostalgia for the classic quintet sound of the '50s and early '60s. Pieces like "In a Restful Place," "It's Been a While," and especially "On a Warm Summer Night" seem plucked from a bygone era, a time solely available to us through the straight-ahead wonders of jazz. Cunliffe's arrangements and his gift for graceful executions, do great justice to Kotler's vision as well. The album's final piece, in particular, "Waltz for Gary," moves and enchants with an elegance that is the album's most prominent feature. Fans of Cunliffe's style will find great pleasures here.
Track Listing
All My Love's For You, Sweet Suzannah, I Will Always Love You, Did I Ask You If You Knew(That I Love You)?, Someday, I Will Finder Her, In A Restful Place, On A Warm Summer Night, When I Look At You, Love's Such A Funny Thing, It's Been A While, Joyful Times, Waltz For Gary.
Personnel
Bill Cunliffe
pianoBob Sheppard, tenor and soprano sax, flute d'amour; Larry Koonse, guitar; Bill Cunliffe, piano, arrangements; Darek Oles, bass; Mark Ferber, drums; Reed Kotler, composer, producer.
Album information
Title: Tomo | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Torii Records