Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » The Mort Weiss Quartet: The Four of Us: Live at Steamers

167

The Mort Weiss Quartet: The Four of Us: Live at Steamers

By

Sign in to view read count
The Mort Weiss Quartet: The Four of Us: Live at Steamers
Piano-less bands always grab my attention because the lightness and roominess of the music pull me in. This group, featuring 69 year-old Mort Weiss on clarinet and Ron Eschete on seven-string guitar, is quite reminiscent of the classic Paul Desmond quartet. Both lead voices have a cool and dry tone, with only minor influences by Charlie Parker, and they deliver straight-ahead jazz with no frills or gimmicks—simple, smooth sailing over a glassy sea.

Supported by Los Angeles heroes Roy McCurdy (drums) and Dave Carpenter (bass), the front line simmers through a set of standards with deceptive ease. Weiss is gentle and lyrical on Gershwin's "Embraceable You" and percussive on Sonny Rollins' familiar "St. Thomas." Eschete's tone is palpably rich, as evidenced on "East of the Sun." Not falling into the trap of too many modern clarinetists, Weiss is confident enough in his sound to not overwhelm the audience with a mind-numbing flurry of notes.

No one is in a rush here. Instead, The Four of Us lets the music do its job. That is the real sign of greatness. It was definitely smoking at Steamers the night this was recorded.

Track Listing

Song is You; I Thought About You; East of the Sun; Over the Rainbow; St. Thomas; Stella by Starlight; Embraceable You; Blues in the Closet.

Personnel

Mort Weiss: clarinet; Ron Eschete: guitar; Dave Carpenter: bass; Roy McCurdy: drums.

Album information

Title: The Four of Us: Live at Steamers | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: SMS Jazz

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.