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Eddie Daniels & Roger Kellaway: Just Friends
ByJust Friends takes us back to the Village Vanguard in November of 1988, where George Klabin had the good sense to record this band (with permission). He used only a single Sony stereo microphone, but the music doesn't suffer much for it. The recording was simply for Klabin to have and to hold, never meant for release, but a trip down memory lane altered its fate. Klabin pulled out the tape to give it a listen in 2016, revisiting what he heard on that night long ago, and he sent copies of the recording to Daniels and Kellaway. All three parties were equally enthusiastic about the music, so plans were set in motion to make the tape into a proper album package.
At the time that this show took place, it had been more than ten months since Daniels and Kellaway recorded Memos From Paradise. But it really sounds like absolutely no time had passed since they were in each others' musical company. They're incredibly tight from the opener through the closerin sync on the bluesy head of Kellaway's Monk-inspired "Some O' This And Some O' That" and during the firestorm runs on "The Spice Man"and everything in between feels just as good. With bassist Buster Williams and drummer Al Foster rounding out the group, that high degree of synchronicity should come as no shock.
Those four move from the aforementioned blues-based beginnings into a more reflective climate with Daniels' "Reverie For A Rainy Day," a bewitching and mildly soulful number that the clarinet kingpin penned specifically for this Vanguard run. Then they drop in on "Wolfie's Samba," a tune that borrows melody from the second movement of Mozart's Clarinet Quintet and shifts from a classical atmosphere to its titular Brazilian rhythmic landscape; visit "Just Friends" for a lengthy and penetrating look at that durable classic, adorned with ornamental wonders, set into being through melodious fantasias, and swinging with charm and grace; and come to close with "The Spice Man," a Kellaway original with compelling solo interludes (usually) framed by fiery runs.
In addition to filling a gap in the Daniels/Kellaway discography by adding a quartet-based club set to the studio and duo-centered live dates already commercially available, this one simply has great value for what it presents: four musicians playing with skill and passion for an appreciative audience.
Track Listing
Some O’ This and Some ‘O That; Reverie for a Rainy Day; Wolfie’s Samba; Just Friends: The Spice Man.
Personnel
Eddie Daniels
clarinetRoger Kellaway
pianoEddie Daniels: clarinet; Roger Kellaway: piano; Buster Williams: bass; Al Foster: drums.
Album information
Title: Just Friends: Live at the Village Vanguard | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Resonance Records
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