Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Dave Howard: Souvenirs

163

Dave Howard: Souvenirs

By

Sign in to view read count
Dave Howard: Souvenirs
An overall excellent disc by a creative, challenging ensemble with some innovative ideas. This album perhaps doesn’t get off to the best start, as the opening track is steeped so richly in the Pat Metheny Group’s oeuvre that Howard comes off as a mere wanna-be. The guitar tone, cymbal shimmers and wordless vocals just scream, “Metheny made it big like this, so can I!” Fortunately the band redeem themselves on the fun second track, “The Change”. Dennard, a former sideman of Lew Soloff and Jaco Pastorius, kicks the tune off with bouncy, boinging jaw harp that is soon supplemented by bluesy guitar. The tune eventually settles into a firm blues chug that deeply satisfies.

Given several song titles and the Continental feel to some selections, Howard must have derived much inspiration from a trip to Italy. “Calabria” includes more of Arthur Blume’s vocals, thankfully more akin to Bonfa or Nino Rota than Metheny this time around, and the melody is notably lovely. Bassist Stinnett remains right in the pocket on most tunes, extending into funkiness when needed and laying down some ecstatic decoration on tracks like “Threesome”. Dennard is a perfect foil all around, one of the most balanced drummers in the business when he’s on top of his game. The eminently refined pianist Larry Boyle doesn’t appear on every track, but is used to fine advantage to round out the jazzier pieces.

Howard’s guitar playing is generally tasteful and informed, his ideas move in suitable and often unexpected directions, and his compositions are pretty interesting. He achieves a nice “blooming” archtop tone on the less bluesy pieces, and uses the guitar synth with appreciable discretion. Aside from the questionable first track, Souvenirs is an excellent, worthwhile effort by a guitarist who shows considerable promise for the future. Recommended.

(http://www.NeogaMusic.com)

Track Listing

Souvenirs; The Change; Calabria; Interlude; Threesome; Espresso; Under The Knife; Lido Marinella 2 A.M.; Ciao Ritornero.

Personnel

Dave Howard
guitar, electric

David Howard, Composer, Arranger, electric and acoustic guitars, guitar synthesizer; Kenwood Dennard, drums, jaw harp, voice on #2; Jim Stinnett, electric and acoustic basses, keyboard; Larry Boyle, acoustic piano; Arthur E. Blume, vocals.

Album information

Title: Souvenirs | Year Released: 2001 | Record Label: Neoga Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of 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 create 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.

You Can 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.

More

Fiesta at Caroga
Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective
Fellowship
David Gibson
Immense Blue
Olie Brice / Rachel Musson / Mark Sanders

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.