Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » John Allred: Focused

148

John Allred: Focused

By

View read count
John Allred: Focused
John Allred, who has paid his dues in a number of settings from trad to swing and beyond, plays it “straight” all the way on Focused, and in so doing reveals himself to be one of the most accomplished mainstream Jazz trombonists you’ve never heard. When a trombonist as proficient as Don Sebesky says of Allred, ”[he] plays the way I always wanted to,” one has to bend an ear and listen closely to what’s going down. There are countless moments (on “Spring Can Really Hang You Up,” “On the Street Where You Live,” “My Romance” and elsewhere) when one could almost swear he was hearing the great Carl Fontana. Allred’s chops aren’t quite Rosolino–like, but to be fair, there was only one Frank Rosolino, the yardstick by which all trombonists must be measured, and Allred at least comes within sliding distance of Rosolino’s mind–boggling technical wizardry (and skates closest perhaps on “Street,” Cole Porter’s “Love for Sale” and Sebesky’s cheery flag–waver, “Are We Having Fun Yet”). He’s consistently resourceful and as comfortable in the upper register as, say, Bill Watrous (for confirmation, check out “But Beautiful”). Besides playing marvelously, Allred wrote four bright, lyrical tunes (“My Inclination,” “Easy Does It,” “Focused,” “Red Leopard”), each of which seems tailor–made for his buoyant trombone, and arranged all but “Spring” and “But Beautiful,” which were arranged by John Katalenic. Also commendable is the leader’s “no–name” rhythm section, each of whom contributes markedly to the success of the endeavor — pianist Drexler in particular is a pleasure to hear — and tenor saxophonist Wertz, another unknown who should be far better known. Completing the splendid program are charming originals by Dave Brubeck (“Blues for Mr. Broadway”) and Keith Jarrett (“Lucky Southern”). It took two years to move the session from recording studio to disc — and it was worth the wait. Impressive in every way.

Track listing: Love for Sale; Blues for Mister Broadway; My Inclination; On the Street Where You Live; Easy Does It; Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most; Focused; Lucky Southern; But Beautiful; Red Leopard; Are We Having Fun Yet; My Romance (63:56).

Personnel

John Allred
trombone

John Allred, trombone; Richard Drexler, piano; Kelly Sill, bass; Eddie Metz, drums. Additional musicians

Album information

Title: Focused | Year Released: 1999 | Record Label: Apple Jazz Records

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.