Gabe Katell

PRESS- review by jazz historian Scott Yanow in LA Jazz Scene 11/1/2025

Gabe Katell, a baritone-saxophonist who considers Nick Brignola to be his main influence, makes his recording debut as a leader on Hear, It Is. He is joined by pianist Adam Hersh, bassist Kevin Axt, and drummer Kevin van den Elzen for a swinging set comprised of ten jazz standards arranged by Hersh.

Katell has a deep and attractive tone on the baritone, certainly knows the bebop vocabulary, and is quite fluent. He is also skilled as a flutist. Hersh, who occasionally hints at early McCoy Tyner, has his own sound on the piano while Axt (who has been in great demand for years) and van den Elzen swing hard throughout the set.

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PRESS- review by jazz historian Scott Yanow in LA Jazz Scene 11/1/2025

Gabe Katell, a baritone-saxophonist who considers Nick Brignola to be his main influence, makes his recording debut as a leader on Hear, It Is. He is joined by pianist Adam Hersh, bassist Kevin Axt, and drummer Kevin van den Elzen for a swinging set comprised of ten jazz standards arranged by Hersh.

Katell has a deep and attractive tone on the baritone, certainly knows the bebop vocabulary, and is quite fluent. He is also skilled as a flutist. Hersh, who occasionally hints at early McCoy Tyner, has his own sound on the piano while Axt (who has been in great demand for years) and van den Elzen swing hard throughout the set.

The songs are all superior tunes and the quartet digs in and comes up with consistently colorful and inventive solos within the hard bop tradition. Beginning with Cedar Walton’s medium-tempo blues “Midnight Waltz,” the program includes such tunes as Charlie Parker’s “Dewey Square,” a medium-tempo version of “What’s New,” Sam Jones’ classic “Unit 7,” an uptempo “Nica’s Dream,” and “Half Nelson” which serves as a joyful closer. While he is mostly heard on baritone, Gabe Katell plays flute on three numbers including “I Wish I Knew” and “I Hear A Rhapsody.” Occasionally he overdubs his second horn on melody statements (on “Unit 7” he plays the harmony parts on clarinet) but otherwise this is a spontaneous quartet date.

The playing throughout is first-rate and inventive. Gabe Katell’s impressive Hear, It Is (which has been made available on all of the usual streaming services) makes one look forward to his future projects as a leader.

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