Greg Chako: Friends, Old & New

Guitarist Greg Chako has always considered himself a composer and arranger first and foremost over his abilities as a player. After a long chapter in his life where he performed and produced music in Asia, his return to the states and coming back home to Cincinnati, has energized the guitarist and filled him with a new sense of purpose, resuming his prolific music career by signing with a new label (Mint 400 Records), re-releasing previously produced recordings and finally presenting Friends, Old & New.

The title of the album is a recognition by Chako that in order to achieve his goal of bringing new compositions and re-imagining older charts to light, as he states, takes "people to help me make it all come together." For this project Chako drew upon friends he has known for over 50 years as well as folks he has only worked with for as little as three months. The result is a dynamic new album of exciting straight-ahead jazz highlighting the guitarist chops on the instrument as well as his talents as a writer. Featuring ten original compositions in formats from trio to sextet, the leader crafts a blend of bluesy and Brazilian-tinged instrumental and vocal tunes in a warm, appealing and elegant fashion.

Starting the session off is the bebop original of "Organomics" which features keyboardist Wayne Yeager on the organ providing a nice complement to the guitarist's solo moments in a terrific opener. The tender "Spring Rain" is a light vocal song featuring singers Kaleb James and Albina Anneken, who join forces again on the balladic "Walk with Me." The hard boppish "Bent Metal" showcases saxophonist Brooks Giles III who takes over the tune with his pronounced play on several outstanding solos.

The Brazilian genre comes across loud and clear on two versions of "Samba Summer," a shorter vocal treatment where the guitarist's guitar leads the way and the vocals follow, and then again on the finale version which is an eight-minute plus instrumental. Perhaps the most adventurous and ambitious piece of the set is the twelve-minute original "Wayne's Waltz" where Yeager and the organ are featured in a prominent role.

Like the opening piece and "Wayne's Waltz," "Giles Smiles" and "Groove Time" were compositions penned during the 2020 pandemic period and "Giles Smile" may be a shout out to saxophonist Brook Giles whose saxophone voice is featured here ,while "Groove Time" demonstrates just how wide and deep the bluesy grooves are on this vibrant session of music.

The 1931 song by John Klenner, "Just Friends," may have been an appropriate standard to have included here, but then it wouldn't have been an album of original material or have conveyed the message that one could create incredible new music with old and new friends who are not "just friends," as Greg Chako and his friends prove on Friends, Old & New.