George DeLancey: Paradise
ByDelancey is a young man (b.1988) with a very old soul. His music brings to mind the aforementioned Pettiford's grace and Charles Mingus' aspirations to be heir to the Duke Ellington legacy. Like a great chef (food analogy alert) he adds just the right ingredients in the proper proportions. It is easy to recognize this mentor, Rodney Whitaker's influence here. He takes the Modern Jazz Quartet's waltz "Skating In Central Park" as a gentle round-and-round spin with Tadataka Unno's piano and Jonathan Beshay's clarinet decorating the affair, with the elegance consistent with the original recording. Delancey has the gift for writing and more importantly arranging music to fit his players i.e. the ingredients. The swift bebop of "Bohemia After Dark" is economically condensed, as if all the fat is trimmed but the music flavored with Mike Sailor's trumpet, Caleb Wheeler Curtis' alto saxophone, Unno's piano, Lawrence Leather's drums and Delancey's bass.
There is joy evident in this work throughout. The band speeds through Monk's "Locomotive," with a Pepper Adams-like baritone saxophone solo by Tony Lustig that spills into more flavored solos by bandmates. Delancey's "While I Was Away" presents a creamy arco bass played over a supple arrangement of horns. The disc ends with a small-big band (10-piece) arrangement of "All The Things You Are." Let's hope this is a hint of larger things to come? Because George Delancey serves gourmet food without the gastronomic pretensions.
Track Listing
Paradise; Bohemia After Dark; To Another Girl; Skating in Central Park; Alone Time; Locomotive; While I Was Away; All The Things You Are.
Personnel
George DeLancey: bass; Caleb Wheeler Curtis: saxophone; Jonathan Beshay: saxophone, tenor; Tony Lustig: saxophone, baritone; Mike Sailors: trumpet; Robert Edwards: trombone; Tadataka Unno: piano; Lawrence Leathers: drums; Tatum Greenblatt: trumpet; Ray Cetta: tuba.
Album information
Title: Paradise | Year Released: 2020 | Record Label: Self Produced
Post a comment about this album
FOR THE LOVE OF JAZZ

WE NEED YOUR HELP
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve 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.About George DeLancey
Instrument: Bass
Article Coverage | Calendar | Albums | Photos | Similar Artists