Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Howard Alden/Bucky Pizzarelli: In a Mellow Tone

287

Howard Alden/Bucky Pizzarelli: In a Mellow Tone

By

View read count
Howard Alden/Bucky Pizzarelli: In a Mellow Tone
Good taste never goes out of style and knows no demographic, as this delicate album by two masters of the seven-string demonstrates. The 45-year old Alden and the 77-year old Pizzarelli may be a generation apart, but they are certainly cut from the same cloth.

A great example of how their comping and strumming styles mesh so effortlessly is heard on "Tangerine," where they trade back and forth like one guitarist overdubbed on two tracks. "Cherokee" starts with a tom-tom-inspired beat and turns into a mutual admiration society meeting with the two swapping solos back and forth with abandon.

They take "Three Little Words" at an appropriately brisk tempo, but never do you get the impression that the old master and the young buck are trying to outdo each other. Rather, the feeling is of two people comfortable with each other and a shared interpretation of the material.

Alden is showcased by himself on two tunes, Bix Beiderbecke's "In the Dark," and ever-so-briefly on an old warhorse, "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles." Alden imbues the Bix tune with a light and airy feel and rids "Bubbles" of any sense of cliché with a treatment that is beautifully introspective.

The two manage to breathe new life into "Jitterbug Waltz," as if that was even necessary, taking turns dancing their way around the melody in single notes and chord phrasing. Their solos culminate in a fine bit of counterpoint before returning to the tune's basic structure.

This album is a testament to both Pizzarelli's enduring genius on the guitar and Alden's innate ability to absorb the styles of those who came before and come up with something of his own making.

Visit Concord on the web.

Track Listing

1. In a Mellow Tone (7:32) 2. Do Nothing 'Till You Hear from Me (7:04) 3. Tangerine (4:59) 4. Snow Fall (5:23) 5. Cherokee (5:11) 6. In the Dark (3:03) 7. The Very Thought of You (4:09) 8. Three Little Words (3:53) 9. What's New? (6:07) 10. Moon Glow (4:58) 11. Jitterbug Waltz (6:15) 12. I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles (1:22) 13. Blues for Emmett (5:23)

Personnel

Howard Alden
guitar and vocals

Howard Alden and Bucky Pizzarelli: guitar.

Album information

Title: In a Mellow Tone | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Concord Music Group

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.

Near

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.