Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Walt Weiskopf: The Way You Say It

5

Walt Weiskopf: The Way You Say It

Walt Weiskopf: The Way You Say It
The trail leading to The Way You Say It, the latest from tenor saxophonist Walt Weiskopf, is marked by performances from superb Posi-Tone releases of recent vintage. Organist Brian Charette was the ballast of the 2015 Triple Play, a three tenor date led by Doug Webb, which featured Weiskopf. Vibraphonist Behn Gillece made significant contributions to Overdrive, Weiskopf's debut for the label in 2014. And drummer Steve Fidyk laid down a stable, stimulating beat throughout Open Road, Weiskopf's recording from last year. (FYI: Charette, Gillece and Fidyk have led recent Posi-Tone dates.) Since the absence of steady employment in clubs and other venues makes ongoing alliances nearly impossible, these ad hoc connections between like-minded players are the next best thing to a working band. Kudos to producer Marc Free for his discernment and willingness to do the spadework.

In part, the boisterous, give-and-take between four outgoing personalities makes the difference between a decent record and an exceptional one. The acoustic and electrically enabled instruments fit together comfortably, and the presence of the organ and vibes makes for some alluring textures. Throughout The Way You Say It the leader's tenor saxophone is as formidable as ever, yet he doesn't tower over the others or dominate the proceedings. "Coffee and Scones" contains five riveting blues choruses, and "Invisible Sun" exemplifies his penchant for shifts in velocity and changes in direction without any loss of cohesion. The bandmates aren't quite as expansive or far ranging as Weiskopf, yet they're not any less interesting, particularly on "Blues Combination" (Charette) and "Envisioned" (Gillece). With nary a misdirected stroke, Fidyk knows when to kick (check out the whiplash snare accents during portions of "Blues Combination" and "Envisioned") and when to lay back.

Weiskopf's compositions combine familiar and new perspectives. Some of the templates are recognizable from a substantial body of work; nonetheless the lines sound fresh and vital. (Two of his nine works on the record, "Separation" and "Invisible Sun," were written in the late twentieth century.) An excellent example of Weiskopf's up-tempo efforts, the slippery, effusive "Blues Combination" seems to move in a couple of directions at once, all the while maintaining a semblance of order. Just try and savor one phrase before it races by and leads to another—and another. "Manny Boy" evinces a jaunty, celebratory air that is enhanced by a handful of brisk, twisting phrases. Taken at a relaxed pace, the title track is pensive, relatively spare, and heartfelt. A diverse trio of covers, "Candy" (inspired by Ray Charles' version), "Scarlet Woman" (originally recorded by Weather Report) and Charlie Parker's iconic "Segment," don't sound out of place amidst Weiskopf's originals.

Weiskopf is the rare artist whose mid-career efforts eclipse the considerable triumphs of his earlier years. The Way You Say It is a confident, brilliantly executed account of his current perspectives as a player, leader and musical thinker. I'm looking forward to the next chapter of Weiskopf's evolution.

Track Listing

Coffee and Scones; Separation; Inntoene; Dreamlining; Blues Combination; Candy; Envisioned; Invisible Sun; Manny Boy; Scarlet Woman; Segment; The Way You Say It.

Personnel

Walt Weiskopf
saxophone

Walt Weiskopf: tenor saxophone; Brian Charette: organ; Behn Gillece: vibraphone; Steve Fidyk: drums.

Album information

Title: The Way You Say It | Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: Posi-Tone Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT



Walt Weiskopf Concerts


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.

Near

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.