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Tom Collier: Mallet Jazz
BySo is the sound of Tom Collier's Mallet Jazz, a marimba and vibes fest of (mostly) straight-ahead tunes.
Five of the nine songs here feature a vibes/marimba front line, with Collier on vibes and Emil Richards hitting the marimba bars, rounded out by piano/bass/drum rhythmMike Lang, Dan Dean, and Joe Porcaro, respectively. Maintaining a brightly up-tempo pace, the group churns ahead, getting funky at times, with Dan Dean using an electric bass that gives the group sound a beefy, modern punch. Two of the tunes feature Don Gruisin on piano and John Bishop on drums, with Collier playing both marimba and vibes, a change in the sonic personality, a bit more laid back while maintaining the same mood.
These are consistently fine mainstream sounds on tunes one through seven, making it nearly impossible to pick a highlight; but "Double Bars," with its prowling Henry Mancini groove, stands out for this ear. Then there's tune #8, "Mutso Futso," a major gear change that brings in clarinetist William O. "Bill" Smith. It's a beautifully abstract, meandering melody that brings Jimmy Guiffre to mind, a masterful little twenty-first century symphony.
A first rate mallet fest.
Visit Tom Collier on the web at www.tomcolliervibes.com .
Track Listing
Mallet jazz, Eddie's Pad, Double Bars, Jupiter Jump, Laser Glade, Stick It To the Bar, Subito Sox, Mutso Futso, Pink Skies Over Carnaby
Personnel
Tom Collier
vibraphoneTom Collier--vibes, marimba; Emil Richards--marimba; Joe Porcaro, John Bishop--drums; William O. "Bill" Smith--clarinet on "Mutso Futso"; Don Grusin--piano; Dan Dean--bass
Album information
Title: Mallet Jazz | Year Released: 2004 | Record Label: Unknown label
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