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Von Freeman & Frank Catalano: You Talkin' To Me?!
ByThe sleeve notes and the recording itself break down the tenorists into separate channels, but such studio wizardry is hardly necessary in deciphering who’s playing what and when. Vonski’s tone and method are unmistakable. Demonstrating that he’s taken his mentor’s credo of singularity to heart Catalano is equally distinct. “Get Out” gets the quintet’s juices flowing and gives both horns a chance to name the shots. The call and response chase of “Good Bait” opens an even clearer aperture to observe the two players distinct tones. Catalano’s fleet-fingered slippery lines and Freeman’s more measured heavy rasp weave a loose knit coat of melodic colors that cloaks the rhythm section in a warm embrace. “Summertime” steers the group into moodier regions and it’s a true pleasure to hear Vonski wrap his thick throaty sound around the morose melody of this Gershwin classic. For more optimistic ears there are several sunnier ballads on hand too such as “When I Fall In Love” and “I Could Write a Book.” Something of a surprise is the pair’s take on “Alone Together,” which opens with a prefatory collusion between the horns sans rhythm that perfectly mirrors the sentiments of the title. “Reverse Blues” locks the lounge up with a sultry finish riding a particularly bluesy foray from Catalano. The musical equivalent of that old club sign-off “You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”
On an bizarre side note, Lloyd Sach’s liners make mention of an offer Catalano received from the industrial rock band Ministry to join their fold around the time this set was scheduled to be waxed. Thankfully Catalano opted to decline, staying in Chicago and carrying through with the session. But it does conjure some crazy speculative scenarios as to what the next Ministry record would have sounded like had he joined their heavy industrial circus.
Track Listing
Get Out/ Good Bait/ When I Fall In Love/ You Talkin
Personnel
Von Freeman
saxophone, tenorVon Freeman- tenor saxophone(right channel); Frank Catalano- tenor saxophone (left channel); Larry Novak- piano; Larry Kohut- bass; Joel Spencer- drums. Recorded: August 18 & 19, 1999, Chicago, IL.
Album information
Title: You Talkin' To Me?! | Year Released: 2000 | Record Label: Delmark Records
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