Javon Jackson's For You

Everything about saxophonist Javon Jackson's new album, For You, is so simple and direct that it's incredibly refreshing. The cover, the name of the album, the straightforward approach to these standards--it's all sounds like my early days of exploring jazz, back in college, when I hit the record stores and started buying all the Davis, Coltrane, Rollins and Pepper I could find. Perhaps that's because Jackson has such strong ties to the past. He used to be a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers for one, and he's also played with Elvin Jones, Freddie Hubbard, Cedar Walton and Ron Carter. Those are some serious credentials in the world of jazz, of course, but it's also important to note that For You is Jackson's 20th album as leader. He's worked with the best because he is the best.

For You is a mixture of original compositions and standards, and I write those words down quite often. The difference here is that Jackson has this type of jazz flowing through his veins, and it's just a matter of getting it out into the world. There is such a timeless ease to his originals, and he excels at blending those seamlessly with standards like "I'm Old-Fashioned," and "Backstage Sally." But let's go back to the Kern-Mercer tune, which opens the album. It is old-fashioned in spirit, so gentle and calm of a ballad, but it's also old-fashioned in the way it digs deep into the ground and finds something ancient and untouched. This isn't jazz that's trying to find something new, an angle or innovation. It is pure and from the past and there's a wildness about it that is just as exciting as it would have been in 1958.

I do come across jazz albums like this once in a while, albums that are so beautifully ensconced with the past that they exist on a different plane of existence. Jackson, who is a youthful 53-years-old, accomplishes this magic with a quartet that includes pianist Jeremy Manasia, bassist David Williams and drummer McClenty Hunter--all seasoned jazz musicians as well. That's probably another reason why this album is so timeless--it's one of those superstar albums you used to see fifty or sixty years ago. Everyone has been somewhere else, learned a few things, and have come back around to learn a few more. Manasia's been playing with Jackson at the Village Vanguard for the last few years, Williams was a long-time fixture with Cedar Walton Trio and McClenty Hunter is, well, a young man who has been making quite a splash in the last few years. His debut as leader, The Groove Hunter, is one of the stand-out jazz albums of 2018.

For You is clearly a jazz album for people who know their jazz. To the uninitiated, it might seem polished and perfect, but the real jazz aficionado will instantly recognize how masterful these four musicians are, and how they settle into a unified whole that is a living, breathing definition of the finest of the genre. If you're looking for that next lost jazz classic that's been remastered and is selling for $50, try this out instead. It's everything you need.

Jared Gold's Reemergence

Jazz guitarist Dave Stryker has been a busy guy. Not only have I reviewed two of his albums, Eight Track II and Strykin' Ahead over the last year or so, he's appeared on a lot of other musician's albums such as Steve Slagle's Dedication. Just yesterday I reviewed McClenty Hunter Jr.'s wonderful new album, The Groove Master, and Dave Stryker co-produced that album and played guitar on a song or two. On Jared Gold's new album Reemergence, Stryker also plays a huge role--he plays guitar on all tracks and he produces. Oh yeah, this album is released on the Strikezone Records label, just like Hunter's. No wonder I received both CDs in the same padded envelope.

As with Hunter's album, Reemergence isn't about Stryker, although his influence is felt more here. Gold plays none other than the Hammond B-3 organ, which has become a major theme for contemporary jazz over the last couple of years. (Or perhaps its presence has been felt for much longer--and I'm just starting to notice and I'm totally digging this renaissance for the instrument.) Reemergence is more lively and brash than Hunter's somewhat moody and thoughtful album and is more consistent with the more rambunctious tone in Stryker's albums. I'm talking, of course, about that Paul Schaffer-esque sound where the guitars and the organ drive the melody in an upbeat and lively manner.

That doesn't sound surprising for the organ to take the lead, obviously, but I have heard B3 players sneak around in the background and provide enormous amounts of texture between solos. Gold is up front, taking turns with Stryker and horn player Jeremy Pelt. Drummer Billy Hart comprises the rhythm section along with Gold, who is working sans bassist and is covering the deep notes with the floor pedals. Working without a bass player isn't unique in the world of jazz (or even rock, as Ray Manzarek will tell you), but it does underline the virtuosity of this type of B3 player.

Unlike Hunter, who played patiently for years before stepping out in front, Gold is an old pro when it comes to making records--Reemergence is his eighth solo album, and he's been featured on many, many others. He has extraordinary taste when it comes to his covers--Gershwin's "It Ain't Necessarily So" and "How Long Has This Been Going On," Ornette Coleman's "Blues Connotation," and even Lennon and McCartney's "She's Leaving Home," which has been totally transformed by the original. It took me a while to place it. He takes a cue from Hunter by covering Stevie Wonder's "Looking for Another Pure Love," which feels like a specific suggestion from Stryker. Gold throws in a couple of exciting originals before paying tribute to Stryker by ending the album with "Nomad."

Stryker has become quite a creative force in contemporary jazz, and he's doing it by lifting up his colleagues and friends and showing the world what they can do. Both The Groove Hunter and Reemergence are strong releases, standouts in a still young 2018, and I look forward to more introductions like this from Strikezone Records.

McClenty Hunter Jr.'s The Groove Hunter

What do you want to know about this McClenty Hunter Jr. fellow? That he's been a big part of the New York City jazz scene over the last decade? That he's one of those contemporary jazz drummers who's also a composer and arranger, which sounds rarer than it actually is? That talented jazz guitarist Dave Stryker took McClenty under his wing and taught him a few things about production and decided that this new CD, The Groove Hunter, would introduce an original, exciting new force to the world of jazz?

I'm sure all of that is true, or at least partially true. All I can tell you is that I stuck this in my CD player, pressed play and immediately said "wow." Hunter, who has played in Stryker's trio for the last eight years, has put out a classic jazz album. By classic I mean old-fashioned, something Rudy Van Gelder might have recorded fifty years ago. That's surprising since Stryker is a thoroughly modern jazz performer. He can do classic as well, but he's more comfortable in his own space playing a mean and edgy electric guitar in order to create a jazz that's just a few doors down from the blues. But The Groove Hunter is different. Perhaps it'll remind you of Cannonball Adderley's Something Else, all soft and lyrical in its inspiration. Perhaps Stacy Dillard's up-front sax will remind you of Coltrane or Wayne Shorter. The point is, this is the kind of jazz that sounds like it was discovered in a vault somewhere. It has the Blue Note sound coming out of its pores.

I know--this is Hunter's album and not Stryker's, and that's why it sounds so different than Stryker's last few albums. Hunter seems to be a traditionalist, which is what draws this music out from the past. He covers Shorter's "The Big Push," Coltrane's "Countdown" and Herbie Nichols' "Blue Chopsticks" with a proper degree of reverence and even trots out a beautiful version of Stevie Wonder's "That Girl" that might have been covered by one of the great jazz ensembles of yore. He blends in a few of his own compositions in a smooth, surreptitious way that makes it all flow. He does all the right things, and best of all he's the drummer. That means he's keeping time, providing the momentum and letting his cohorts --Dillard, pianist Eric Reed, bassist Corcoran Holt, trumpeter Eddie Henderson and a few special guests including Stryker--take their turn in the spotlight.

Listening casually, you might assume that McClenty's playing the sax, or the piano. That's how generous he is with that spotlight. But scoot forward and listen to his percussion. He's soft, he's dynamic, he's the musical center even when he's hanging back. In fact, Hunter is known for the exquisite way he handles the brushes, with shuffle grooves that have deep layers of decay. Fortunately, the recording is wonderful and captures all these details in a sweet, open way. And when Hunter starts letting it rip, your heart will start pounding. This is an exciting album, full of beauty as well as fire; it's old-fashioned in the best way imaginable.