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John Fedchock Quartet: Reminiscence
BySpeaking of Ratajczak, he was Fedchock's timekeeper of choice for more than thirty-five years, and this concert in August 2013 was one of his last gigs before his untimely passing the following October from ocular melanoma. To assert that Ratajczak never sounded better would be gratuitous, as he always sounded ready, earnest and unerring. Here he anchors a rhythm section whose other members are pianist John Toomey and bassist Jimmy Masters. Working together, they lend Fedchock all the support he needs. That is no less true of Williams who turns up the heat with brushes and sticks on the vigorous "Brazilian Fantasy."
The ensemble opens Reminiscence with "The Third Degree," a sunny swinger written by Fedchock for his New York Big Band and pared down to quartet size by the composer. Fedchock is in fine form here, as he is throughout, framing a buoyant solo that Toomey follows with another in the same vein before the duo exchange fours and eights with Ratajczak. "Loose Change" swings equally hard, albeit at a more moderate tempo, after which Fedchock shows his mastery of the ballad form on J.J. Johnson's dreamy "Lament." "The End of a Love Affair" cooks from end to end (enhanced by more excellent drumming from Ratajczak), while another standard, "You're My Everything," espouses a shuffling groove that leads to a second ballad, Tadd Dameron's even-tempered "If You Could See Me Now." "Brazilian Fantasy" rings down the curtain on another broad and persuasive concert by the superb John Fedchock Quartet.
Track Listing
The Third Degree; Loose Change; Lament; The End of a Love Affair; You’re My Everything; If You Could See Me Now; Brazilian Fantasy.
Personnel
John Fedchock
tromboneJohn Fedchock: trombone; John Toomey: piano; Jimmy Masters: bass; Dave Ratajczak: drums (1-6); Billy Williams: drums (7).
Album information
Title: Reminiscence | Year Released: 2019 | Record Label: Summit Records
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