Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » The Kerry Strayer Septet: Jeru Blue: A Tribute to Gerry Mulligan

118

The Kerry Strayer Septet: Jeru Blue: A Tribute to Gerry Mulligan

By

View read count
The Kerry Strayer Septet: Jeru Blue: A Tribute to Gerry Mulligan
In the years since Gerry Mulligan's death, a number of albums have been recorded in tribute to the great baritone saxophonist and cool jazz patriarch. Kerry Strayer's Jeru Blue, his debut release on the Palmetto label, certainly deserves consideration as one of the best.

Strayer, a Kansas City baritone saxophonist and bandleader, has written eight fresh arrangements of Mulligan compositions and added a terrific original, the title tune, which fits solidly in the Mulligan mode. He has also managed to assemble the entire rhythm section from Mulligan's final quartet: Ted Rosenthal on piano, Dean Johnson on bass, and Ron Vincent, who also produced the album, on drums. This tremendously cohesive unit provides the backbone for some exceptional ensemble playing. Strayer is joined in the top-notch front line by Randy Brecker on trumpet and fluegelhorn, John Mosca on trombone, and Ted Nash on tenor sax and flute.

The selections—including such varied fare as "Rio One," "Festive Minor," "Tell Me When," and "Dragonfly"—highlight Mulligan's contributions to cool jazz, bossa nova, and modern big band jazz. The arrangements are crisp, fluid, and energetic, and the soloists are all first-rate, with Brecker, Rosenthal, Mosca, and Nash each given plenty of room to shine. Strayer himself is a superb, thoughtful player who acquits himself well on both up-tempo numbers and quiet, moody ballads like "Night Lights (The Lonely Night)."

If you're a fan of Gerry Mulligan (and you should be), you'd be well-advised to check out this exciting new examination of his legacy.

Personnel

Kerry Strayer, baritone, soprano sax; Randy Brecker, trumpet, flugelhorn; John Mosca, trombone; Ted Nash, tenor sax, flute; Ted Rosenthal, piano; Dean Johnson, bass; Ron Vincent, drums.

Album information

Title: Jeru Blue: A Tribute to Gerry Mulligan | Year Released: 1998 | Record Label: Palmetto Records

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

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

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.