Jerry Z: Break Allegro

Jerry Z, a worthy successor to such organ maestros as Joey DeFrancesco, Melvin Rhyne, Jimmy Smith, Charles Earland, Jimmy McGriff and others too numerous to single out, shows on Break Allegro, only the second recording as leader of his own group, that he clearly deserves to be mentioned in such esteemed company.

In musical parlance, allegro means "fast" or "lively," which is exactly how Jerry Z's quartet opens the album, sprinting from the starting line on the title song—the first of his half-dozen original compositions—while unveiling the onset in a series of impressive solos by tenor saxophonist Chad LB (Chad Lefkowitz-Brown) and guitarist Oz Noy. As Jerry Z uses no bass (and rotates drummers Mike Clark, Lenny White and Joe Dyson), Noy doubles as the group's rhythmic hub, sharing that assignment on two numbers (Eric Clapton's "Strange Brew," Jerry Z's "In the Garden") with guest percussionist Daniel Sadownick.

"Break Allegro" is the spiciest ingredient on the menu, an honor that would normally be reserved for trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie's warp-speed "Bebop," which is performed here, however, at a relatively laid-back tempo. In fact, every number after "Allegro" is more moderato than rapid, allowing everyone to dig in deeply and wrest as much warmth and pleasure as possible from every measure before moving on.

"Rego Park," for example, is a light-hearted swinger with stormy solos by Jerry Z and Noy, while the boogaloo "Strange Brew," unwavering "Road Dog" and "In the Garden" lean heavily on funk to deliver their emphatic message. That leaves "Zoya" and "Angelie," each of which is a funk-soaked ballad. Jerry Z is right at home in that framework, as are Noy and Chad LB.

Everyone does his best to make the finished product shine, and group interplay and individual forays are by and large admirable. Still, listeners for whom a little funk and fusion are more than enough may find that Break Allegro, in spite of its positive traits, rather overdoes it. A solid session, and well-presented, but one that could have benefited from more diversity and less rephrasing.