Owen Broder: Hodges: Front and Center, Vol.1

Johnny Hodges was a unique instrumentalist whose alto saxophone playing was readily recognizable due to his tone, phrasing, and melodic engagement in improvisation. For the greater part of his musical life, he was anchored in the middle chair of the Duke Ellington Orchestra's saxophone section. However Hodges never turned down an opportunity to stretch out in a small group setting on such albums as Back To Back and Side By Side. Additionally, there were several sessions with organist Wild Bill Davis which are very under-appreciated, wherein Hodges' mix of sultriness and blues was a perfect fit for Davis' sumptuous voicing.

In this nine track session, alto and baritone saxophonist Owen Broder and his cohorts trumpeter Riley Mulherkar, pianist Carmen Staaf, bassist Barry Stephenson and drummer Bryan Carter work their magic on a selection of pieces from the Ellington songbook as well as numbers played by Hodges in some of his small group sessions. The group opens with "Royal Garden Blues" in which Mulherkar states the theme in this swinging take on the piece. Broder's alto solo picks up the line in a lithe manner, before Mulherkar jumps back in with a muted trumpet excursion.

The following two tracks are lesser known Hodges' efforts with the first, "Viscount," a collaboration with Mercer Ellington, and the interestingly titled "18 Carrots for Rabbit" which was a partnership between Hodges and Gerry Mulligan. The former is offered in an easy-going groove with some tricky counterpoint between Broder and Mulherkar. Also Stephenson is offered some solo space for his big-toned bass. On the latter composition, Broder switches to baritone sax where he deceptively proves his facility, timbre, and nimble attack.

The group gets back to more familiar territory with the Billy Strayhorn composition and Ellington theme "Take The A Train" and it is given a spirited reading. The arrangement is structured in a "name that tune mode" with the reveal coming close to the end of the chart but made interesting with some deft brush work from drummer Carter, and Broder's alto sax solo a model of restraint and concision. The closing track is "You Need To Rock" and, as the name implies, it is a solid blues rocker. Broder is at his exuberant best as he captures the tune's energy and excitement. Overall, the session is a fitting evocation of Johnny Hodges' contribution to the jazz world.

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