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Harry Allen's All Star New York Saxophone Band: The Candy Men
ByAllen raises the curtain, appropriately enough, with the iconic "Four Brothers," using not Jimmy Giuffre's classic chart but an arrangement by Al Cohn written for a later album, The Four Brothers . . . Together Again! While the solo order on various tracks isn't disclosed on the jacket or in Marc Myers' otherwise splendid liner notes, the ultra-smooth Allen and baritone Gary Smulyan are rather easy to pinpoint, and while tenors Grant Stewart and Eric Alexander are far closer in phrasing and perception, they too can be separated with due diligence. On "Four Brothers," the order seems to be Stewart, Allen, Alexander and Smulyan, after which everyone trades fours. Allen arranged every other track, starting with his own mid-tempo groover, "The One for You," on which the familiar Four Brothers sound precedes engaging solos by Smulyan, Alexander, Stewart and Allen (in that order; fingers crossed).
There's an "Early Autumn" vibe to the lovely ballad "How Are Things in Glocca Morra," a Bill Holman-inspired ambience to "After You've Gone" (not unlike the high-voltage chart Holman wrote for the Herman Herd in the mid-50s). Pianist Rossano Sportiello and drummer Kevin Kanner take their first solos here, proving that the term "all-star" doesn't apply merely to the saxophones. Indeed, the rhythm section (Sportiello, Kanner, bassist Joel Forbes) is sharp and persuasive throughout. Alexander is especially inspired on "I Wished on the Moon" and another of Allen's originals, the earnestly swinging "Blues in the Morning," which lead to the opulent "I Can See Forever," co-written by Allen and frequent collaborator Judy Carmichael (who also co-authored "The One for You").
Track Listing
Four Brothers; The One For You; How Are Things in Glocca Morra?; After You've Gone; I Wished On the Moon; Blues in the Morning; I Can See Forever; The Red Door; The Candy Man; So There; Nobody's Heart; The Party's Over.
Personnel
Harry Allen
saxophoneHarry Allen: tenor saxophone; Eric Alexander: tenor saxophone; Grant Stewart: tenor saxophone; Gary Smulyan: baritone saxophone; Rossano Sportiello: piano; Joel Forbes: bass; Kevin Kanner: drums.
Album information
Title: The Candy Men | Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: Arbor Records