Alvin Queen: The Jazzcup Café Blues

Alvin Queen, the legendary drummer who astounded audiences as a child prodigy when he sat in with John Coltrane at Birdland at age twelve, delivers a riveting live performance from Jazzclub Domicile in Pforzheim, Germany, in May 2019. In this eight-track session, Queen is accompanied by Jesse Davis on alto sax, Danny Grissett piano, Dezron Douglas bass, along with percussionist Cesar Granados on a couple of tracks. The set list is a satisfying mix of the familiar and the fresh, weaving intricate dialogues between the musicians.

The album The Jazzcup Café Blues opens with a swinging original from Douglas, "East Harlem Moon," with Davis setting the mood by weaving in and around Grissett's meandering piano passages. Queen's nuanced drumming sets the perfect pacing, supporting Douglas as he offers an expressive solo. The master of bebop, Charlie Parker, wrote "Au Privave," a number that gives Davis a chance to shine, showing his bop chops filled with crisp and inventive phrasing. Grissett's playing is equally compelling, propelled by Queen's explosive drumming.

The title track, "Jazzcup Café Blues," was a joint effort of all the band members and is named after the Jazzcup Café in Copenhagen, a favourite spot for Queen to hang out. With the addition of Granados, the number takes on a funky groove driven by Queen's rhythmic finesse, which steers the ensemble through dynamic shifts and exhilarating climaxes. Davis wrote "Blues for Sluggo," a stellar bebop romp that opens with Queen running through the entire toolbox of his drum kit. Davis delivers his resourceful solo in an assertive hard bop mode as Grissett shows he is an astute improviser. The Herb Ellis-Johnny Frigo-Lou Carter composition "Detour Ahead" is an evocative ballad on which Grissett takes control of the theme with his unerring touch and melodic instinct. With Davis dropping out, the trio's exploration is filled with insistent lyricism, with Douglas showing he is a bassist of deep, sonorous style.

The composition that concludes this release is Duke Ellington's "Love You Madly." The number is a tour de force for Douglas, running through the melody in a robust, vigorous style before giving way to Grissett. As the number plays out, there are several delicious exchanges among Queen, Douglas and Grissett, which are full of ideas and rhythmic patterns to achieve a freshness and jazz feeling. The album is a celebration of ensemble playing, confirming the authenticity of the performance.