Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Dan Faulk: The Dan Faulk Songbook, Vol.1

169

Dan Faulk: The Dan Faulk Songbook, Vol.1

By

View read count
Dan Faulk: The Dan Faulk Songbook, Vol.1
A deep appreciation of jazz lies in the intricacies of listening. Dan Faulk’s Songbook would appear as just another post bop saxophone recording. While this is in part true, a closer listen to the fine print reveals maturity, poise and a singular voice.

Faulk has recorded and played alongside jazz legends J.J. Johnson and Wayne Shorter, and it’s easy to hear why as he plays with grace and proficiency. The strength of Dan Faulk Songbook, Vol.1 lies in music that is reflective and performed to the hilt by expert musicians. Backed by pianist Carlton Holmes, bassist Ugonna Okegwo and the exciting drummer Terrill Will, Faulk interprets ten potent originals with memorable performances.

Dan Faulk is a skilled craftsman and his solos are expressive, fluid, and mature. His tenor has the ubiquitous Coltrane sound but is performed with utter resolve on the killer selection “Vote,” a fine example of the band playing with abandon. He also exhibits robust soprano work on the mellow excursion “Delores,” where his extended solo radiates playfulness and creativity.

The selections encompass the standard blues and bop repertoire but accentuate the talent of each band member. Terrill Will has many shining moments, with energetic solos and nice kit work on selections such as the vibrant “Hopscotch.” “Violets for Tuesday” is reminiscent of Benny Golson’s classic “Killer Joe,” with Okegwo using powerful lines to hold the groove and serving up a stellar solo. Carlton provides stalwart piano work throughout and adds the right touches of soul and mood to the mellow selection “Brotherly Love.”

Faulk is just as skilled as more notable “sax-perts,” as a close listen proves. All one needs is a keen ear.

Track Listing

Look for the Sun, Violets for Tuesday, Hopscotch, You(Thirty Years Ago), Dolores, Vote, Crawfish, Waiting, Tension, Brotherly Love.

Personnel

Album information

Title: The Dan Faulk Songbook, Vol. 1 | Year Released: 2003 | Record Label: Ugli Fruit Productions

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

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

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.