Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Doug Webb: Swing Shift

5

Doug Webb: Swing Shift

By

View read count
Doug Webb: Swing Shift
Doug Webb is one of a large number of accomplished saxophonists on the West Coast who have largely flown under the radar because... well, basically because they are on the West Coast. That's not to imply that Webb or his cohorts are penniless or not working steadily; that is not the case at all. Besides fronting his own groups, Webb—a graduate of the Berklee School of Music—works regularly in a number of ensembles large and small, and has appeared on more than 500 recordings for hundreds of artists including Horace Silver, Freddie Hubbard, bassist Stanley Clarke (a member of Webb's quartet on Swing Shift), Quincy Jones, Kyle Eastwood, Rod Stewart, Carly Simon, Queen Latifah, Cher, Vicki Carr and Art Garfunkel. A member for fifteen years of Doc Severinsen's Tonight Show Band, Webb has also recorded music for hundreds of films and television programs.

Swing Shift is the third album produced during a day-long marathon session in April 2009 with Clarke, drummer Gerry Gibbs (son of Terry) and alternating pianists Larry Goldings, Mahesh Balasooriya and Joe Bagg. Its centerpiece is the twenty-two minute "Patagonia Suite," a busy, sometimes raucous pastiche co-written by Webb and Clarke, on which each is given ample scope to unfurl his particular skills, as are Gibbs and Bagg. Webb plays tenor and soprano saxophones on "Patagonia," soprano on the lyrical "Simone," alto on Rodgers and Hart's lovely ballad "Where or When," tenor on Mal Waldron's "Soul Eyes," his own "Rizone," and lastly on the even- tempered finale, "Apodemia," again co-authored with Clarke. Needless to say, he excels on every one, and his warm-toned alto is especially pleasing.

Webb gives his tenor a vehement workout on the mercurial "Rizone" (perhaps based on "I Got Rhythm"), after which "Apodemia" seems almost placid by comparison. The three pianists are capable, if not mesmerizing, while Clarke and Gibbs get the job done with a minimum of turbulence, even though called upon from time to time to ramp up the volume. In sum, this is a largely engaging post-bop quartet album whose leader may not be well known but should be.

Track Listing

Soul Eyes; Patagonia Suite; Simone; Where or When; Rizone; Apodemia.

Personnel

Doug Webb
saxophone

Doug Webb: saxophones; Larry Goldings: piano (1); Mahesh Balasooriya: piano (2, 3); Joe Bagg: piano (4, 6); Stanley Clarke: bass; Gerry Gibbs: drums.

Album information

Title: Swing Shift | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: Posi-Tone 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.