Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Wolfgang Schalk: Wanted

272

Wolfgang Schalk: Wanted

By

View read count
Wolfgang Schalk: Wanted
With full hollow-bodied goodness, guitarist Wolfgang Schalk delivers his most heartfelt recording to date with Wanted. Recorded in Los Angeles, Schalk not only switched locations from his bi-coastal residencies in New York but also sports a new quartet with veteran aces Geoffrey Keezer (piano), Marvin "Smitty" Smith (drums) and bassist Dave Carpenter, who sadly passed away in June 2008.

Schalk has recorded a number of noteworthy recordings including 2005's Space Messengers (Universal Music Group). He continues to refine a sound that is not only well informed of Wes Montgomery modalities, but also possesses its own post bop ideas as heard in the attractive Latin-tinged ballad "A New Something" (with impeccable acoustic guitar) and the inflammable groove "A Hip Bop."

Never underestimating the power of swing, the quartet gives a clinic on its finer points—syncopation, symbiotic communication and soulful empathy. This is evidenced on the knotted tempo of the title song and "W 46" (a fitting dedication to Wes Montgomery) as Schalk's chorded runs and single note solos are equaled in intensity by Keezer's lightning keys, only to be mirrored in spots by Smitty's quick cymbal taps and Carpenter's walking bass. To say that the band is tight would be an understatement.

There's also moving balladry as heard on the emotive "And Harry Said Goodbye," dedicated to another Schalk influence, European guitar master, Harry Pepl. His tonality and phrasing on this piece is delicate and warm while Carpenter provides a wonderful deep solo that proved a mastery that will surely be missed. The recording ends with "Last Minute," an uplifting number that swings with elegance and sparkling musicianship from everyone.

Track Listing

Wanted; A New Something; Monroe Street; W 46 (for Wes Montgomery); What Makes Me Think; A Hip Bop; And Harry Said Goodbye (for Harry Pepl); Last Minute.

Personnel

Wolfgang Schalk: guitars; Geoffrey Keezer: piano; Dave Carpenter: bass; Marvin "Smitty" Smith: drums.

Album information

Title: Wanted | Year Released: 2008 | Record Label: Frame Up Music

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




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.

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.