Marchel Ivery: 3

Tenor saxophonist Marchel Ivery is a walking monument to the Texas tenor sound. Born in 1938, and until of late, not heard much outside the Longhorn State. Ivery has a large sound. Big, like Sonny Rollins, Clifford Jordan, Joe Henderson, or fellow Texan James Clay. His music is a timeless jazz born in the bebop era and built on a blues inflection. No gimmicks, guffaws, or light shows. Marchel Ivery is old school. This, his third release for Leaning House, is another special treat for your ears. His trio concept is in two parts, half the songs with organist Joey DeFrancesco, and half as a sax/bass/drums lineup. Liner notes don’t indicate whether the tracks with DeFrancesco are extra takes from the session that produced Ivery’s last disc Meets Joey DeFrancesco. What you get is more of their collaborative cooking of jazz standards. Joey D is certainly making a name for himself these days. The four remaining tracks are all Ivery. His composition “Another Trane Thing” as a classic workout, is recorded brilliantly (as all the tracks) with bassist Andrew Griffith and drummer G.T. Hogan separated sonically, so to be heard clearly and distinctively from the tenor. We catch every little pluck, knock, and vocalization of the band, including Ivery counting off the tunes. The clarity of the sound reflects a glorious date. Highly recommended.

Track List:East Of The Sun; Portrait Of Jenny; Three Coins In The Fountain; Stairway To The Stars; Will You Still Be Mine?; You Don’t Know What Love Is; Snake Charmer; Another Trane Thing.