Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Dan Adler: Back To The Bridge

265

Dan Adler: Back To The Bridge

By

Sign in to view read count
Dan Adler: Back To The Bridge
Guitarist Dan Adler's debut , All Things Familiar (Emdan Music, 2009), demonstrated his formidable skills, and brought together a noteworthy roster of artists, such as saxophonist Grant Stewart, to fill out a quintet lineup. For his followup, the Israeli-born, New York-based six stringer pares things down and goes with an organ trio format, enlisting the most renowned and recognizable organist of the modern era, Joey DeFrancesco, and longtime drummer, Byron Landham.

The music, as might be expected, is largely made up of swinging songs in the mid-to-up-tempo range, and plenty of the songs adhere to the predictable form of head-solo-solo—sometime solo trading with drums—head. The good thing is that performance trumps occasional form predictability every time, and with players this good, it's hard not to be impressed. In addition, Adler does find ways to spice things up, regardless of some relatively conventional structures. His tempo twists and retooling work on Clifford Brown's "Joy Spring" create one such moment. Book-ending "A Beautiful Friendship" with some NOLA notions, superbly delivered by Byron's crushed snare drum sounds, represents another. The inclusion of a chill-inducing, mournful Israeli-standard/ballad, "Yatzanu At (We Left Slowly)," decidedly atypical fare for an organ album, is, yet, a third.

DeFrancesco's jaw-dropping technique and lightning quick reflexes show up here and there with a quick mid-solo run, but he largely reins in those tendencies and works, in a more sympathetic manner with, what Adler lays out for him. Sometimes, as on "Oh, Look At Me Now," the well-crafted organ bass lines are as easily noticed as any other work from DeFrancesco. Adler, likewise, demonstrates terrific facility and a clean-toned clarity throughout his playing. He self-edits with great taste, never overplaying or throwing in needless licks. Landham's snappy swing, clean brushwork and quick thinking give spark to these songs. When he pulls a reverse Art Blakey, playing a de-cresendoing press roll during the solo trading on "Oh, Look At Me Now," he demonstrates intelligence in simplicity.

Other highlights include a Sonny Rollins-style calypso original from Adler ("Between Jobs"), snappy version of "I've Never Been In Love Before"—which gives the guitarist a chance to throw in a quick "Surrey With The Fringe On Top" quote—and the album opener, "Silver And Gold," a tribute to pianist Horace Silver. It's hard to think of the organ trio tradition without thinking of the blues, and Adler closes the album with "The Smudge"—a mid-tempo blues vehicle from the late Oscar Peterson.

Back To The Bridge is a fine showcase for Adler's writing, arranging and guitar playing skills, and presents ten tracks of organ trio music in all its glory.

Track Listing

Silver And Gold; Oh, Look At Me Now; Joy Spring; Back To The Bridge; Good Old Days; A Beautiful Friendship; Yatsanu At (We Left Slowly); Between Jobs; I've Never Been In Love Before; The Smudge.

Personnel

Dan Adler
guitar

Dan Adler: guitar; Joey DeFrancesco; organ; Byron Landham: drums.

Album information

Title: Back To The Bridge | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: Self Produced

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.