Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Joey DeFrancesco / Robi Botos / Vito Rezza / Phil Dwyer:...

261

Joey DeFrancesco / Robi Botos / Vito Rezza / Phil Dwyer: One Take: Volume Four

By

View read count
On the fourth volume Alma Records' One Take series, everything heard on disc, as stated on the back cover, was was recorded during a single take with "no rehearsals, no overdubs, no edits—just raw, untouched and inspired performances."

It is immediately clear that these sessions were quite informal. "How do you want to start this?" a voice asks, shortly before a ten-minute long rendition of "There is No Greater Love" where organist Joey DeFrancesco immediately takes the lead with his smart licks and fluid improvisational style. He is followed by tenor saxophonist Phil Dwyer and pianist Robi Botos, who both put their personal stamp on the tune as drummer Vito Rezza keeps a steady beat. The quartet follows that with a gentle take on "Tenderly" that mostly features Dwyer's mellow tones. Things pick up with an up-tempo version of "Village Green" that has lots of improvisation, including a burning solo from Rezza.

The single original piece on this six-track CD is DeFrancesco's "Not That," a simple, twelve-bar blues where the organist begins alone for a few bars, then joined by the remaining musicians. It is clearly an opportunity to lay back and be playful, as the tune's simple structure allows for plenty of freedom without much risk —especially when the goal is to capture everything in a single take. The author pretty much dominates the scene with extended solos, call-and-response with Dwyer, and a great overall groove.

Also notable is "Broadway," the final track of this intriguing experiment. Played at a very fast tempo, the tune begins with Rezza, and DeFrancesco's bass line, followed followed by Botos and Dwyer, who both contribute twisting solos.

The liner notes do not mention how often (or how long) these four musicians have worked together, but their chemistry is evident. The fact that these sessions were unrehearsed doesn't allow for greater exploration, but the musicians compensate with great creativity and energy, making this one of the most thrilling jazz releases of 2010.

Track Listing

There Is No Greater Love Than This; Tenderly; Village Green; Not That; Alice In Wonderland; Broadway

Personnel

Joey DeFrancesco: Hammond organ; Vito Rezza: drums; Robi Botos: piano, Fender Rhodes; Phil Dwyer: tenor sax.

Album information

Title: One Take: Volume Four | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: Alma 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

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.