Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Eric Allison: After Hours

156

Eric Allison: After Hours

By

View read count
Eric Allison: After Hours
After Hours was a mega-hit for trumpeter Erskine Hawkins' orchestra in the '40s, and this second release on Contemporary by reedman Eric Allison is dedicated to the memory of Hawkins and his pianist, Avery Parrish, who wrote After Hours. Further than that, the session embodies the sort of late-night mood that once permeated the club scene from coast to coast. Allison's rawboned tenor saxophone is comfortably at home in that groove, as are Lonnie Smith's soulful piano and Hammond B-3 (which he employs on 'Round About Dawn), John Bailey's expressive trumpet and Jesse Jones Jr.'s plaintive alto (Jones is trumpeter Melton Mustafa's older brother). The front-liners receive impressive support from bassist Marks (a sonorous and unerring range-finder) and drummer Burger who keep things swinging without getting in the way. Allison also has some persuasive moments on flute (Tip-Toein'), clarinet (Delta Joy) and alto ('Round About Dawn) while Mauro's dark-edged baritone (which isn't heard often enough) complements the leader's flute on Tip-Toein'. All of the selections except After Hours were written by Allison, and they are quite good albeit a stride or two short of memorable. The spirit of Hawkins is evident in the smooth-riding Midnight Groove, while 'Round About Dawn paints a melancholy picture of the moments before sunrise, Sittin' In depicts the gospel as it should be (with glimpses of You Are My Sunshine), Delta Joy is redolent with the spicy flavor of New Orleans-style Jazz, and everyone digs deep to lend extra drive to the session's obligatory burner, Straight-Up. Allison is shrewd and articulate on every axe, and the back-up crew is admirable. A solid club-style blowing date that is well worth the price of admission.

Eric Allison, tenor, alto saxophones, flute, clarinet, tambourine; John Bailey, trumpet; Jesse Jones Jr., alto sax; Turk Mauro, baritone sax; Dr. Lonnie Smith, piano, Hammond B-3 organ; Dennis Marks, bass; Danny Burger, drums.

Midnight Groove, After Hours, Double Shot, 'Round About Dawn, Sittin' In, No Cover, Tip-Toein', Straight-Up, Deanna, Delta Joy

(75:31)



Reprinted with permission from Marge Hofacre's Jazz News

Personnel

Eric Allison: tenor sax, alto sax, flute, clarinet, tambourine; John Bailey: trumpet; Jesse Jones Jr: alt sax; Turk Mauro: baritone sax; Dr. Lonnie Smith: piano, organ; Danny Burger: drums.

Album information

Title: After Hours | Year Released: 1998 | Record Label: Contemporary

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About 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 make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

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

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.