Vincent Gardner: Three-Five (2010)

George Kanzler

Jazz and music critic for major daily newspaper, also syndicated by Newhouse News Service, from 1968 to 2002; frelance since.

Recent articles (110 total)

Published: February 7, 2010

The title here refers to both trombonist Vincent Gardner's age and the time signatures (3/4 and 5/4) of the majority of the tracks on this CD. Gardner says the "idea for the date was to try these pieces in a different meter. It's amazing that when you drop a beat and take a tune usually played in 4/4 down to 3/4 its character changes and therefore you respond differently." It's not really that straightforward; Gardner doesn't simply cast pieces in a steady 3/4 or 5/4 like Dave Brubeck Dave Brubeck
1920 - 2012
piano or the early hard boppers did, but takes liberties with rhythms within the meters as well as delivering fresh, often intricate arrangements reimagining more familiar tunes. A case in point is his fugue-like recasting of Sonny Rollins Sonny Rollins
b.1930
saxophone ' "Valse Hot," dispensing with full rhythm section during the theme and changing up rhythmic emphasis while maintaining the kernel 3/4 during solos.

Seven of the nine tracks are from a sterling sextet with brother Derrick Gardner Derrick Gardner

trumpet (trumpet), Mark Gross (alto and soprano sax), Aaron Goldberg Aaron Goldberg

piano (piano), Greg Williams (bass) and the inventive drummer Ali Jackson. All arrangements are by the leader and include a Bobby Timmons Bobby Timmons
1935 - 1974
piano ' "Dat Dere" deftly waltzed with tango accents; Lee Morgan Lee Morgan
1938 - 1972
trumpet 's "Morgan the Pirate" in lilting swing; Tommy Turrentine Tommy Turrentine
b.1928 's "Long As Your Living" in a fleet, swing-feel 5/4 contrasted with James Black James Black
1940 - 1988
drums 's "Wee Dee" as rocking mid-tempo 5/4; Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter
b.1933
saxophone 's "Sweet 'N' Sour" as a bright waltz and Bobby Hutcherson Bobby Hutcherson
b.1941
vibraphone 's "Little B's Poem" kept in an oddly accented 4/4. Shorter's sinuous "Iris" is a trombone-with-rhythm track with a slow, vaguely 3/4 feel. And "I'll Never Smile Again" takes a cue from the late Richie Powell Richie Powell
b.1931 's hard bop revampings of standards like "I'll Remember April" for Clifford Brown Clifford Brown
1930 - 1956
trumpet and Max Roach Max Roach
1925 - 2007
drums , with Gross laying out and the two brothers voicing the crackling fast theme.