Kenny Shanker: Steppin' Up (2011)

Bruce Lindsay

CD/DVD Reviewer since 2008

Bruce is the author of the blog Delicious Hot Disgusting Cold, and the photoseries "It's Not How It Sounds".

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Published: August 27, 2011

Kenny Shanker has worked extensively since graduating from the Manhattan School of Music in 2001, playing with the New World Symphony, and the Tommy Dorsey Tommy Dorsey
1905 - 1956
trombone and Nelson Riddle Nelson Riddle
1921 - 1985
arranger Orchestras, among others. The young alto saxophonist recorded his debut album as leader, Steppin' Up, in April 2009 but it's taken almost two-and-a-half years for it to be released. It's a shame that it has stayed in the vaults for so long, for Shanker's melodic and accessible brand of straight-ahead jazz is immediately enjoyable, with enough twists and turns to reward repeated listening.

Steppin' Up also benefits from the musical talents of some exceptional sidemen, including pianists Art Hirahara Art Hirahara
b.1971
piano and Mike Eckroth Mike Eckroth
and guitarist Lage Lund Lage Lund

guitar . Shanker engages with each of these players in some delightfully melodic interactions, while they all fashion solos of quality.

Shanker wrote all but one of Steppin' Up's ten pieces, possessing a knack for crafting tunes that mix an easy, engaging, melodic center with something a little deeper and more complex. "Winter Rain" opens with Shanker's simple, clear alto line and Hirahara's left-hand chords, but gets a little edgier thanks to Hirahara's slightly jagged solo. The hard bop of "Fifth and Berry" features some tight unison playing from Shanker and Lund, while Brian Fishler's percussive drive ensures that the tune has a real sense of movement. "Quirk," despite its title, is one of the most straightforward tunes on the album, with Shanker's alto taking on a smoother, more '80s sound than usual, while "Sarah" is a soulful ballad, with delicately evocative solos from Shanker and Eckroth, whose playing lends the tune a hint of sadness.

Shanker closes Steppin' Up with a languid, melancholy, version of Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein
1918 - 1990
composer/conductor 's "Somewhere." Both Shanker and Eckroth solo with sensitivity, while the tune's mood is enhanced by some deftly understated playing from Fishler and bassist Yoshi Waki Yoshi Waki

bass, acoustic . This understated approach sums up much of the album—Shanker can blow, but has the maturity and musical awareness to realize that his melodies often work best when he keeps things simple. The resulting album is impressive and hints strongly that Shanker is a player to watch.

Track Listing: Winter Rain; Fifth and Berry; Rhapsody; Quirk; E. J.; Sarah; Prowl; Saints; Home Sweet Home; Somewhere.

Personnel: Kenny Shanker: alto saxophone; Art Hirahara: piano; Lage Lund: guitar; Yoshi Waki: bass; Brian Fishler: drums: Mike Eckroth: piano (4, 6, 10).

Record Label: Posi-Tone Records