Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Tardo Hammer: Look Stop & Listen

121

Tardo Hammer: Look Stop & Listen

By

View read count
Tardo Hammer: Look Stop & Listen
A teacher at Cambridge, Massachusetts' New School of Music when he's not leading singer Annie Ross' band, pianist Tardo Hammer has backed up stalwarts including Lou Donaldson and Abbey Lincoln, and was a member of the Art Farmer-Clifford Jordan Quintet. The last credit is the key here, because Jordan played on Live at the Theatre Boulogne—the 1994 Soul Note release by Dameronia, Don Sickler and Philly Jo Jones' big-band tribute to legendary composer/arranger Tadd Dameron. How much influence Jordan had on Hammer's choice of material is unknown. What is evident on Look Stop & Listen is Hammer's own affinity for Dameron—like Hammer, a formidable pianist.

"Make little songs when you play was one of Dameron's mottos. That is borne out in the ideas within ideas found on much of the material here. Pieces take unexpected turns into completely different directions, only there is no shock value attached to the moves; in Dameron's mind, one concept "logically led to another. This is demonstrated on "Focus, which begins as a quietly frenetic run down a steep hill, and then suddenly swerves into a swinging blues strut. The change in altitude and attitude would be jarring if the music (and Hammer's performance) wasn't so awesome.

Hammer's piano is steeped in bebop, which is perfect for approaching Dameron's work: "Our Delight was a staple of the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, while "The Squirrel was a jam-session favorite in the days when the "new sound sprouted out of the minds of Dizzy and Bird. Hammer blasts out on both, using a wild right hand and an exemplary sense of harmony to bring life to the song's rich textures. He makes "Hot House bounce like a happy little ball, and has a deft, loving touch that brings the proper level of affection to the ballad "If You Could See Me Now (a big hit for Sarah Vaughan). He also casts "Dial B for Beauty into a sweet bebop-goes-west coast mode.

Given the total tonnage of ideas in Dameron's compositions, Hammer needed players with voices of their own to make this material complete. John Webber and Joe Farnsworth definitely fill the bill. Farnsworth plays with an unbridled joy on the title track (originally written for Philly Jo), and cuts his own creative swath on "Our Delight. Webber's bass is rich and lyrical on "Focus, and his solo on "If You Could See Me Now takes the piece's intimacy to an even deeper level.

Dameron's work may have brought color and texture to the big bands of Dizzy, Count Basie and Artie Shaw, but Look Stop & Listen shows that Dameron's music is best appreciated in a simpler setting. Hammer has painted a portrait with a soul, displaying the essence of Dameron without being overawed by his subject. The results are definitely suitable for framing.

Track Listing

Focus; Look Stop & Listen; Smooth as the Wind; Dial B for Beauty; The Squirrel; Hot House; Super Jet; If You Could See Me Now; Our Delight; Flossie Lou.

Personnel

Tardo Hammer: piano; John Webber: bass; Joe Farnsworth: drums.

Album information

Title: Look Stop & Listen: The Music of Tadd Dameron | Year Released: 2008 | Record Label: Sharp Nine 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.