Greg Chako: Hard Bop for the Record

If the name Greg Chako is unfamiliar to you, perhaps it is because the veteran Cincinnati-bred guitarist, composer, and arranger has spent much of his career performing and recording in Asia, including years abroad in Hong Kong, Singapore, China, and Japan.

After recovering from a near-fatal case of sepsis, Chako took full advantage of his new lease on life, returning home to lead a piano-less quintet on Hard Bop for the Record, whose second track, "Second Chance," salutes his return to good health and his ability to resume playing the guitar. Chako's happiness and gratitude to be back on the jazz scene are evident on every theme, all of which he wrote and arranged.

The group's two-horn front line consists of trombonist Spencer Merk and saxophonist Brooks Giles III, whose sorties on tenor or soprano are technically sound and reasonably designed even though there are times when he is perhaps a tad too strident, an impression that listeners must judge for themselves,

"Second Chance" is one of the album's highlights, as are the four tunes that follow: Spencer Merk's showpiece, "Ballad to the Bone"; the breezy, fast-moving "Soar with the Wind," good-natured "Bop for Bud" (Bud Powell) and luminous "Mr. Higgins" (Billy Higgins) on which drummer Alex Merk sits in capably for the song's namesake. The well-grooved "Time to Play" is next up, followed by the waltz-time ballad "Mellow-Dee" and charming "April Wind" (based on the standard "I'll Remember April") before the quintet bids farewell with another highlight, the alluring minor blues "For the Record."

Chako, whose solos are invariably crystal clear and well-designed, serves also as the group's harmonic center, deftly supporting Spencer Merk and Giles while sharing rhythmic duties with Alex Merk and bassist David Lloyd. Everyone plays his role well, but there is no doubt that Chako provides the glue that holds the enterprise together, which is as it should be.

Hard Bop for the Record is a far better than average studio date, thanks largely to Chako's impressive compositions and arrangements coupled with solid performances by the ensemble as a whole (Giles included).