Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Craig Wuepper: The Returnsman

Craig Wuepper: The Returnsman

By Dave Nathan
May 1, 2001
View read count

Jazz ensembles led by drummers rarely gain the prominence they perhaps deserve, the outstanding exception being Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. Craig Wuepper works hard to change that perception on his maiden album as leader. There are four his works on the program and they are where Wuepper especially displays his considerable drumming talent. Although he cites the likes of Philly Joe Jones and Elvin Jones among his influences, he is less noisy and intrusive than these two major modern drummers. While expressive, listen to his quirky solo on "The Best Thing for You", where he stays calm and steadfast in his approach to the skins and cymbals. He's not a banger.

For his first trip to the studio, Wuepper has engaged the services of some young lions of jazz (some of whose manes are getting a little longer). With a generous 72 minutes of playing time allotted by Double Time, each has plenty of time to stretch out. One of the more intriguing offerings is "Fried Pies" that has as its dominant themes a bagpipe's rhum, rhum, rhum one hears in a Scottish march against which Wuepper drives his drums. The tenor of Eric Alexander, the alto of Mike Dirubbo, along with Ryan Kisor on trumpet are a swinging front line. Any album on which the piano of Mike LeDonne appears is by definition made better.

This is solid, strong bop and post bop and is recommended.

Track Listing

New Scene*; The Returnsman*; The Jitterbug Waltz#; We'll Be Together Again; Savoy Song*; Clear the Way#; Fried Pies#; Zingaro#; The Best Thing for You*

Personnel

Craig Wuepper

Craig Wuepper - Drums; Eric Alexander - Tenor Saxophone; Mike Dirubbo-Alto Sax*; Ryan Kisor# - Trumpet; Mike LeDonne - Piano; John Webber - Bass

Album information

Title: The Returnsman | Year Released: 2001 | Record Label: Double-Time Jazz

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Cynthia Sayer
< Previous

Larry Fuller: It's a Dream to Play w...
Next >

Support All About Jazz

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.