Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Mike Melvoin: It's Always You

258

Mike Melvoin: It's Always You

By

View read count
Mike Melvoin: It's Always You
Pianist Mike Melvoin's new CD, It's Always You reaches the same high standards of his last issue, Oh Baby. Building upon his trio with Steve Gilmore on bass and Bill Goodwin on drums, Melvoin considerably ups the musical ante by including legendary alto saxophonist Phil Woods. The album showcases a nice blend of standards and Melvoin originals. In this age of so- called "lite jazz" pabulum, it's so refreshing to hear musicians who can swing and provide food for thought at the same time.

Oh Baby leads off with a rare instrumental version of "All or Nothing at All." In the liner notes Melvoin describes his harmonic approach to the tune as one of "intense chromaticism." That seems to be the Melvoin style in a nutshell. Like Bill Evans, he can take a tune that we've all already heard a thousand times and make it sound completely fresh just by his chord voicings.

In addition to being a virtuoso pianist, Mike Melvoin is also an extraordinary songwriter. There aren't many contemporary songwriters whose tunes are worthy of being included in the Great American Songbook, but Melvoin is one of the notable exceptions. I was especially impressed with the album's title track, "It's Always You," a poignant ballad that reminded me of another wonderful (but little-known) song, "I Walk a Little Faster." Phil Woods' fiery alto solo illustrates his uncanny ability to gradually build up a ballad to an emotional climax of shattering intensity.

It's hard to believe that Woods and Melvoin had never recorded together before this CD, because their musical communication is so in synch that they sound like the same person playing two instruments. It's worth the price of the album alone just to hear Woods' bluesy clarinet solo on the old standard "I'm Confessin'."

The stylistic range of the music performed on this album is quite broad. Included are two jazz waltzes, "This Is the Place" and "Dawn Dance," both of them Melvoin originals. The latter piece, which has a Marian McPartland feel to it, features a nice bass solo by Steve Gilmore and some tasty brush work by drummer Bill Goodwin.

A humorous side to this CD is seen most notably in the original tune "But I Have To," Melvoin's witty riposte to Thelonious Monk's "Well, You Needn't." You can tell that the musicians are having a blast with the tune, and Woods' solo can be accurately described as "one wild ride."

It's Always You is an extraordinary album with broad appeal to both jazz fans and new jazz listeners. All sorts of jazz—from blues and swing to Monk and samba—can be found here.

Track Listing

All Or Nothing At All; Are You Going To Eat That?; Dawn Dance; Easy To Love; It's Always You; I Hear A Rhapsody; I'm Confessin'; But I Have To; This Is The Place; Come Rain Or Come Shine; Whatever Bianca Wants

Personnel

Mike Melvoin, piano; Phil Woods, alto sax, clarinet; Steve Gilmore, bass; Bill Goodwin, drums

Album information

Title: It's Always You | Year Released: 2003 | Record Label: City Light Entertainment

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.