Eric Felton: Seize the Night (2010)

C. MICHAEL BAILEY,

C. Michael Bailey

Senior Contributor since 1997

...wants to know if Gene Harris is playing "Summertime" in Heaven...

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Published: September 28, 2010

Track review of "Three-Martini Lunch"

Eric Felten's Seize the Night is a throwback to the tradition of Jack Teagarden, that has carried forward through Wycliffe Gordon and Vincent Gardner; that is, the tradition of the singer-trombonist. A talented songwriter, Felten, is also quite the instrumentalist in composing and performing, as evidenced by his original ,"Three-Martini Lunch."

More swing than bebop, but bebop nevertheless, this piece showcases Felten on a muted horn, jousting with Don Braden's sleek and serpentine tenor saxophone. Kenny Barron's informed piano raises the bar of the recording into the stratosphere, where drummer Jimmy Cobb rightfully belongs. Like the other pieces on the disc, "Three-Martini Lunch" clocks in under four minutes, never trying patience or attention.

Personnel: Eric Felten: vocals and trombone; Kenny Barron: piano; Dennis Irwin: bass; Jimmy Cobb: drums; Don Braden: tenor saxophone.

Record Label: Self Produced
Style: Vocal