The Heavy Hitters: That's What's Up!

Mike LeDonne and Eric Alexander head up a band called Heavy Hitters, which features a stellar cast of New York's jazz elite, including trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, alto saxophonist Vincent Herring, bassist Alexander Claffy and drummer Kenny Washington. They have released That's What's Up!, a live recording from Frankie's Jazz Club in Vancouver, British Columbia in December 2023 that captures the authenticity, spontaneity, and emotive power of a band firing on all cylinders. The set list is an artful blend of eight original compositions, predominately by LeDonne and another band member, with two American Songbook standards, "It's Magic" and "My One and Only Love."

This balance of new material and familiar melodies creates a dynamic listening experience beginning with the opening track, a LeDonne original "JB." This is a high-energy number filled with intricate structures. Alexander takes the lead with a boisterous approach followed by Pelt's commanding playing. Herring steps in with urgency, and LeDonne fearlessly scampers over the piano, which he plays exclusively in this recording. The title track, "That's What's Up!" follows with a deep-rooted understanding of the blues tradition set up by LeDonne's harmonic palette. Herring, Pelt and Alexander weave complex yet lyrical lines that complement the underlying structure. Washington's propulsive drumming fills in the musical frame.

The first of two previously noted standards is the Jule Styne composition "It's Magic," and magic it is with the duo of LeDonne and Alexander. It is an evocative journey filled with unexpected turns as each player shows that the music is their defining essence, which makes the musician so mysterious. The Guy Wood composition "My One and Only Love" is a solo tour de force for LeDonne. His interpretation is filled with emotional depth as he colours the qualities of the individual notes of each phrase in expressive ways.

Moving to a more contemporary jazz exploration is "Continuum," the longest track of the outing. The opening is filled with Claffy's rugged bass lines, which devolve into the front-line unison statement of the theme. Each player subsequently takes a turn spontaneously altering the notes, chords and rhythm patterns to achieve freshness. The closer is " You'll Never Know What You Mean To Me." This track confirms what has been evident throughout the album: that this band is replete with technical brilliance, revealing new layers of improvisation, nuanced interplay, and raw emotive power captured by this live recording.