Harry Allen: Rhythm on the River (2011)

Nic Jones

CD/DVD Reviewer since 2002

Nic gets a positive sense of wonder from the most worthwhile music.

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Published: January 3, 2012

Tenor saxophonist Harry Allen is a keeper of the flame ignited by the likes of Zoot Sims Zoot Sims
1925 - 1985
sax, tenor and Al Cohn Al Cohn
1925 - 1988
sax, tenor . Whilst his music's nowhere near any cutting edge, he falls back upon the staples of the swing thru bop vocabulary like a man to the manner born and, over the course of this river-related program, demonstrates just how much the music means to him.

The persuasiveness of his playing stems in part from his authority. To hear him working his way through "Down by the River" is to know this. He has a way of going about his business which results in a freshness which is no small achievement, given the age of the material he works with. Thanks to this, there's even the spark of character in his reading of the venerable "Cry Me a River." His phrasing is tinted with a strain of poignancy which doesn't come easily either, while pianist Rossano Sportiello Rossano Sportiello
b.1974
piano contributes accompaniment which only goes to show how simple isn't always necessarily easy.

Allen's been judicious in his choice of band mates on this occasion. On the sprightly "River, Stay 'way From My Door," cornetist Warren Vache Warren Vache
b.1951
cornet highlights, yet again, how he's also a most persuasive advocate. Over the course of his solo, Vache intuitively seems to make every note count and, considering the number of precedents there are for trumpeters/cornetists in this field, the degree to which he's his own man is notable; only tangential echoes of Joe Newman Joe Newman
b.1922 spring to mind.

"Walking by the River" is taken at a carefree clip, which comes quite naturally to players who celebrate their love for what they do every time they play. The resulting statements provoke momentary thoughts that all is right with the world—a feat which, in the world we currently inhabit, is no small achievement.

Track Listing: Riverboat Shuffle; Cry Me A River; Rhythm of the River; Lazy River; Roll On, Mississippi, Roll On; Down By the River; River, Stay 'way From My Door; Blue River; Weary River; Old Folks at Home (Swanee River); Ready for the River; Sleepy River.

Personnel: Harry Allen: tenor sax; Rossano Sportiello: piano; Joel Forbes: bass; Chuck Riggs: drums. Warren Vache: cornet (1, 4, 8, 11).

Record Label: Challenge Records
Style: Straight-ahead/Mainstream