The Paul Carlon Quintet: Blues for Vita The Paul Carlon Quintet

Blues for Vita provides listeners with an outstanding eight-selection presentation that is a modernized throwback to the days when tenor-trumpet quintets such as Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Lee Morgan's, and Cannonball Adderley's ensembles were the mainstays of jazz labels such as Riverside, Columbia, and Blue Note. The album offers a well-produced mix of straight-ahead, boogaloo, and Latin-flavors from five terrific Paul Carlon originals, two Broadway musical grabs, and a Larry Willis tune made most famous by Woody Shaw on his Rosewood CD (Columbia, 1978).

"Dee Dot" opens the session with a lively frontline-call drums-response to and fro. It is a savagely hot hard bopper that launches Eddie Allen, Carlon, and pianist Helio Alves off into deep dive intense solos. "Colored Paper" is a tasty boogaloo-Latin groove with Carlon and Allen stating the melody in unison. Pianist Helio Alves delivers another brilliant, energetic solo there. Carlon proves again a cooker with a vigorous ride over the modal changes. The track—and others here—has classic Blue Note production values. "Isabel the Liberator" from "Blood, Sweat & Tears" keyboardist, Larry Willis, turns up the heat white-hot with the frontline presenting the exotic melody over a killer underpinning from the rhythm section. Allen and Carlon alternate muscular eight-bar statements. "Blues for Vita" hits hard with a four-note hammer before sax and trumpet unify to lay truth down on this extended straight-ahead blues. Dark and azure, Allen soulfully stretches out with shadings of the masters.

Carlon and Allen are peas in the hard bop pod. Both are solid, versatile and ultimate pros. Collectively and individually they shine. The leader's compositions are memorably catchy and offer plenty of chordal bases for extended solos. The rhythm section of the aforementioned Alves, the always-solid-swinging and reliable Harvie S, and fine drummer Willie Martinez support the frontline with style, drive, and swing. Big props to Carlon and S who produced one of the most entertaining and honest performances in many a moon.

"Never Will I Marry," from the short-running Broadway play "Greenwillow" (starring "Psycho's" (Paramount, 1960) Anthony Perkins!) and subsequently brilliantly covered by Nancy Wilson and Cannonball Adderley, is a stone cooker. The Gasser "It Never Entered My Mind" gets an altered take here from the more frequently played and recorded ballad tempo. It is more of a bossa nova groove with a slick "Freddie the Freeloader" vibe intro. The modification of style works, giving the tune a lovely, almost exotic appeal. "Unmute" is a hard-driving Ferrari with a riff melody. It blisters third-degree and sends Carlon on what might be his finest solo of the session. Similarly, Allen and Alves, both thriving on the groove, also leave it all on the stage. "Zooming Into the Void" provides a laid-back setting and ribbon-like melody over an ostinato bass. S stretches out on a terrific ride, ending the session on a savory note.

Blues for Vita is a solid, satisfying killer. It is an impeccably performed and produced session that features truly exceptional jazz talents.