Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » David Whitman: Oh, Clara!

9

David Whitman: Oh, Clara!

By

View read count
David Whitman: Oh, Clara!
David Whitman is a charismatic drummer with a diverse and elegant approach to his music. The sound on his recent release, Oh, Clara!, has a smooth, smart and sophisticated sound, inspired by genres as diverse as fusion, jazz, and even pop.

Whitman teamed up with a cast of talented musicians in order to create a phenomenal debut release, featuring ten renditions of classic songs recorded over two sessions at Hollywood's legendary Capitol Studios. This album also features two new arrangements and eight original compositions by Andrew Neesley, a Grammy-nominated composer. Tracks such as "Dear John" or "Quiet" are a perfect example of the amazing production aesthetics of this release. The songs are often strong in their own arrangements, on the sheer musicianship of the artists involved in the project. On the aforementioned tracks, Whitman and his band set out to explore a more modern and crisp sound, with some stunning laid back beat, sparse piano arrangements, and groovy bass tones.

On the other hand, on songs like "Feelin' Alright" or "Monty's Bag," the band showcases a more traditional approach, performing pure and unadulterated jazz numbers with taste, confidence, and verve. On this record, Whitman is accompanied by top-tier jazz performers such as Francisco Torres, Tom Luer, Geoffrey Keezer, Rob Thorsen, Tomek Miernowski, Chris Montgomery and Andrew Neesley, who contributed to the the creativity, talent, and musicianship that went into the making of this record. I am a big fan of recordings that allow the band's performance to shine naturally, and this is exactly the case. The drum sound, in particular, is clear and direct; it almost feels like being in the same room with the group as they take it away on a nice club stage. The natural texture of the release really adds to the clarity and authenticity of the music, highlighting the effortless performances of these talented artists and making for a truly amazing natural tone.

Track Listing

Struttin' Home; I Know Why; Monty's Bag; Untitled; Morningside Heights; Stompin' at the Savoy; Dear John; Feelin' Alright; Saint Nicholas Avenue; Quiet.

Personnel

David Whitman: drums; Andrew Neesley: trumpet; Tom Luer: tenor sax; Francisco Torres: trombone; Tomek Miernowski: guitar; Chris Montgomery: guitar; Geoffrey Keezer: piano; Rob Thorson: bass.

Album information

Title: Oh, Clara! | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Self Produced

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

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

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.