Furio di Castri- Wooden You (Splas(H), 1999)

 

Furio di Castri, bass
Mauro Negri, B♭ & bass clarinets

Andrea Dulbecco, marimba
Bill Elgart, drums

Recorded March 30 & 31, 1999
Obelix Studio, Legnano (Milano), Italy
Engineers: Giuseppe Emanuele & Mario Cavallaro

Whimsey is not the first thought that comes to mind when writing about jazz albums of any era. Nonetheless, bassist Furio di Castri conceived Wooden You as a pun in a moment of whimsical reflection.* As he explains in the album's liner notes, the idea of playing with an all-woods ensemble came to him while preparing a meal. Wood is meant literally since the band's instruments are all made from wood. 

As might be apparent from earlier listings, I like woody sounds, especially in lower registers. Bass clarinets, marimbas, cellos, double basses, and Bösendorfer grand pianos all resonate with me, literally. Therefore, I acquired Wooden You as soon as I learned about it and have enjoyed it for at least 25 years. 

The band includes three Italians and the expat American Bill Elgart. Clarinetist Mauro Negri is the primary voice on Wooden You, mostly on B♭ clarinet but also bass clarinet on three numbers. His tone is rich; his ideas smart; his emotional expressions heartfelt; and his extended techniques reserved for the right moments.

Andrea Dulbecco plays marimba on Wooden You. He began his recording career in the early 1990s and has appeared on more than 65 albums, mostly as a vibist. He stays with the marimba on Wooden You to preserve the wooden premise. When not soloing, Dulbecco often provides chordal support for the bass and clarinet. Since marimba bars do not resonate like a piano or electrified vibes, marimba players chord by repeatedly striking up to four bars in rapid succession. Doing so sustains the notes of a chord through repetition, not resonance.

Drummer Bill Elgart completes the quartet. Although he was born in Massachusetts in 1942, Elgart moved to Europe in 1976, and most of his discography is on European labels. His presence on Wooden You is essential, despite the absence of drum solos. Of course, his sticks are made of wood.

Aside from the wooden theme, Wooden You acknowledges a debt to Thelonious Monk. The group's take on Monk's "Ugly Beauty" is ingenious. Negri on bass clarinet and di Castri play the mournful theme in unison, ceding the bridge to the marimba. di Castri then plays a bass solo over the melody played by Negri on bass clarinet. This is a fascinating arrangement because the tune's melody never disappears while the soloist improvises. 

Dulbecco's "Lontano" is the most overtly passionate composition on the album, although Elgart keeps it edgy enough to avoid pastiche. Dulbecco's "Blanca" is also emotional, prompting a beautiful solo from Negri. Dulbecco sneaks in a flamenco figure near the end of the piece, perhaps to honor whoever Blanca might be.

The second Monk tune, "Ruby My Dear," offers another surprise arrangement. Instead of playing the melody, each soloist floats over the song's familiar chord changes. Negri begins on B♭ clarinet and is followed by Dulbecco and di Castri. Playing over the chord changes of standard tunes is not an original idea. Most of Charlie Parker's oeuvre, for example, is constructed over familiar changes. But very few artists play a classic without ever playing the melody.

"Morning" is another noteworthy di Castri composition. It's a modal exercise with a strong walking beat, reminiscent of Miles Davis's "Nefertiti." Negri's solo is outstanding.

The closing number is di Castri's mysterious "Matière de Bretagne," a reference to Britain's medieval literature. The CD booklet gives no explanation for the title, suggesting another inspirational bit of whimsey. 

*Note: The pun is the same one devised by Dizzy Gillespie when writing "Woody'n You" in 1942 as an homage to bandleader Woody Herman. Both puns are variations of "wouldn't you."

Larry Goldings - Moonbird (Palmetto, 1999)

Larry Goldings, organ
Peter Bernstein, guitar
Bill Stewart, drums

Recorded February 27, 1999

Venue and engineer not reported

Larry Goldings has been a favorite of mine for a long time. With Peter Bernstein on guitar and Bill Stewart on drums, Goldings has all the resources he needs for a clean, contemporary style. He eschews the theatrics that many Hammond B3 organists favor, as well as the soul jazz that was popularized in the 1960s. Goldings is also a pianist, which helps to understand his approach to the organ.

The same group sometimes records under Bernstein's name, with similar results. The guitarist is currently among the giants of jazz, but his work with Goldings began only six years into his recording career.

Drummer Stewart is also a long-time member of Goldings' trio. Like Bernstein, Stewart has become a first-call drummer and an asset to the many recording he appears on. 

The repertoire on Moonbird includes originals from all three players and covers of jazz standards, show tunes, and popular music. A key track is "Woodstock," Joni Mitchell's hippie anthem from the 1970s. At over 10 minutes in length, "Woodstock" feels like a story that progresses gently through multiple chapters. Clearly, the song has special meaning for Goldings, who was born in 1968, one year before the legendary Woodstock festival. 

Randy Newman's "I Think It's Going to Rain Today," is from the same era. Like "Woodstock," Newman's composition addresses serious matters, e.g., depression and isolation. Goldings' versions of these songs are genuine and respectful, creating an effective balance to an otherwise upbeat album. The opener, "Crawdaddy," is the one bow toward soulful funk.

I recall seeing Goldings' trio play a short set in 1996 during the International Association of Jazz Educators Conference in Atlanta. They were one of two Warner Brothers bands I saw, Kenny Garrett being the other. It was a great way to sample bands I liked without any travel, admission charge, or overpriced alcohol. Just walk from the Marta station into the hotel and find who you want to hear. My friend Max from Miami was there too. Not often do I get to reunite with a friend at a free concert in my city. Live jazz my way. 

In August 2026 Goldings' trio released Rhombus, a new album marking 35 years since their first recording together. Such longevity of personnel in the same band is a rarity in jazz. Rhombus is also their first album to be released on vinyl since 1993's Light Blue (Minor Music). The music on Rhombus is great. Having never heard them on vinyl before, I can appreciate more of the group's subtle interactions, not to mention the superior sonic presentations of the organ and drums.

John Surman - Coruscating (ECM, 1999)

John Surman, soprano & baritone saxes, bass & contrabass clarinets

Chris Laurence, bass

Keith Pascoe, violin
Rita Manning, violin
Bill Hawkes, viola

Nick Cooper, cello

Recorded January 1999
CTS Studios, London
Engineer: Markus Heiland

Many jazz artists, including Clifford Brown and Charlie Parker, aspired to record standard songs with strings, hoping to dignify the jazz genre back in the 1950s. Coruscating is not John Surman's attempt at a "strings" album. Instead, he uses a string quartet as an integral context for eight improvisations. 

Chris Laurence's bass is essential to Surman's artistic vision of expanding improvisation to an instrument usually assigned a supporting role. As a seasoned jazz artist, Laurence has collaborated with Surman since the 1970s. He has contributed to British jazz even longer, working with virtually all of Britain's jazz luminaries over the past 60 years.

The supporting ensemble is named The Trans4mation String Quartet, assembled by Surman for this recording. The quartet was reunited for The Spaces in Between (ECM, 2007). Surman and Laurence are the primary soloists on both albums. Coruscating is a moody, mostly nocturnal program in which the string quartet shapes and shifts the context for the soloists. 

The minor "At Dusk," with Surman on soprano sax, serves as a prelude for what follows. On the second track, "Dark Corners," the strings paint the mood with a series of chords over which Laurence improvises a bass solo. As unusual as that may sound, it works beautifully. Surman's bass clarinet further darkens the texture as the music intensifies, then abates. "Dark Corners" is relatively brief at 4:57 minutes, it but succeeds on all levels.

Another somber, yet celebratory, number follows: "Stone Flower," dedicated to Harry Carney. Surman switches to baritone sax, which he plays with uncommon delicacy and lyricism, appropriate for honoring Carney, who played the same way for decades in Duke Ellington's band. 

The next five numbers are more extended works, each apparently arranged around separate movements. For example, "Winding Passages" winds through a minor-key introduction by the strings, then moves to a dancing unison section for bass and baritone, punctuated by string chords at the end of each bar. (I picture elephants dancing!) The remainder of "Winding Passages" features improvised sections by string bass and bass clarinet, which exude urgency before calming to a satisfying conclusion.

"An Elusive Shadow" is music originally composed by Surman for a ballet. It introduces the contrabass clarinet, which stretches the group's sound pallet enormously. At 9:24 minutes, this piece resembles film music divided into movements for different scenes. Toward the end, Surman's soprano sax sings like a bird, followed by a final movement that returns to the shadows.

With the sole exception of "Crystal Walls," whose movements feel less coherent, I find Coruscating to be impeccably played and thoroughly rewarding.

Theo Jörgensmann, Snijbloemen (hatOLOGY, 1999)

Theo Jörgensmann, clarinet
Christopher Dell, vibes
Christian Ramond, bass
Klaus Kugel, drums

Recorded January 19 & 20 and April 14, 1999
Vagnsson Studio, Hannover, Germany
Engineer: Hrolfur Vagnsson

When reading The Penguin Guide to Jazz, I often encounter artists I had never heard of before. Theo Jörgensmann was one of many that I chose to take a chance on. I was attracted by the instrumentation: vibes and clarinet resonate with me, and my previous posts for Ralph Peterson and Jay Hoggard are evidence of this. The Guide's reviews of Jörgensmann's quartet albums were also very positive.

                    Ramond          Dell        Kugel       Jörgensmann

Snijbloemen (translated from Dutch as "cut flowers") is a refreshing free jazz exercise by an all-German quartet. Jörgensmann and vibist Christopher Dell are the primary voices, and they enjoy a sympathetic connection.  However, Christian Ramond and Klaus Kugel are essential partners who appear to anticipate what the lead voices require while provoking much of the action. 

As with a few other posts, I run into difficulties describing freely improvised music. However, I've clipped the following comments from a website used by the quartet to promote current activities. These comments match my own freely associated response to the quartet's music.

Vibrating and stunning communication on the finest technical level imaginable. -music against the law of purity (...) dancing elegance, humorous intelligence, sensitive poetry (...), the ultimate improvised chamber music. (Weltwoche, Switzerland, 2002).

Much to my delight, the quartet continue to perform and record. Their album At the Fields Edge (Not Two, 2025) is every bit as stunning as their recordings from 25 years earlier. It's gratifying to blog about artists who have sustained a level of excellence from the 1990s through to the present. It is rare to find an intact quartet exploring the same vein of improvisation as they did a quarter century earlier. 

Anyone interested in exceptional group improvisation delivered by obvious virtuosi should check out the Theo Jörgensmann Quartet. Especially recommended are Snijbloemen's sequel, To Ornette: Hybrid Identity (hatOLOGY, 2001), and the earlier Ta Eko Mo (Z.O.O., 1997).

Christopher Dell - Dancers on a Plane (Konnex, 1998)

Christopher Dell, vibes
Heinz Sauer, tenor sax
Stephan Schmolck, bass

Recorded 1998

Performance Studios, Frankfurt
Engineer: Stefan Noltemeyer

I first encountered German vibist Christopher Dell as a sideman on Snijbloemen, an album by clarinetist Theo Jörgensmann's quartet. At the time, Dell was in his mid 30s with several recordings of his own, including Other Voices, Other Rooms (L+R, 1995), cut at Systems Two in Brooklyn with Americans Jim Black and Billy Drews in the band. Other Voices feels like a mismatch of talents, as the Americans seem more focused on bebop, leaving Dell outside of his comfort zone. The exception is the title track, on which Drews' soprano and Dell's vibes float mysteriously over Black's drums.

I found Dancers on a Plane in Jamey Ebersold's print catalog and ordered it along with several other CDs. But I was not charged for my order, and it was not sent. Ebersold had not entered the world of dot.commerce, leaving me in the dark about the order. So I gave up, but over a year later I received the entire order - and at last I had what I wanted. 

Dancers on a Plane is performed by a trio: vibes, bass and tenor sax. I know of no other group using that configuration. Tenorist Heinz Sauer was active recording on German labels such as Enja, L+R, and ACT, but I was not familiar with his recordings. On Dancers on a Plane, he produces sounds ranging from ethereal to majestic over Dell's chiming foundation.

Bassist Stephan Schmolck was a regular member of Sauer's groups. His contribution to Dancers on a Plane is essential to the group, not only for providing a bottom to their sound, but also for adding textures ranging from plucked and bowed strings to percussive raps on his bass's wooden body. 

It is challenging to analyze Dancers on a Plane track by track. The overall impression is of sounds floating in ever-shifting patterns. Some are based on repetitive figures played by vibes or bass; others are softly mysterious. Linear paths are pursued by any of the three players, only to become implicated in free interplay. On track 4, a bowed bass and vibes somehow generate a loop of what sounds like raindrops throughout most of the track's 6:38 minutes. Dynamics and space are employed to great effect throughout.

I recently learned that in 1998 Dancers on a Plane earned the prestigious “Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik/ Viertelsjahresliste” (Quarterly List of the German Record Critics’ Award). Apparently, my homegrown appreciation for the album is connected to intellectual merits I was unaware of. As described by Dell on his enw website, "With Dancers on a Plane a new synthesis evolves, which in a new way brings New Music and the Frankfurt School in contemporary jazz together." Dancers On A Plane | Christopher Dell. I have a paltry understanding of the intellectual traditions of European music, but it's comforting to discover that my appreciation of Dell's work is not merely personal preference.

Once difficult to find, Dancers on a Plane is currently available as a download or streaming on Qobuz.

Finally, there is some confusion regarding the recording date. The CD booklet reports 1997. Dell identifies the recording date as 1998 and the release date as 1999. 

Jim Snidero - The Music of Joe Henderson (Double-Time, 1998)

Jim Snidero, alto sax
Conrad Herwig, trombone
Joe Magnarelli, trumpet
David Hazeltine, piano
Dennis Irwin, bass
Kenny Washington, drums

Recorded December 21 & 22, 1998
Van Gelder Studio
Engineer: Rudy Van Gelder

Tribute albums often leave me feeling empty. Too often, musicians celebrating the music of other artists simply play repertory, which in the jazz world is not enough. A tribute should not only cover the significant compositions of the honorees but also offer new interpretations. For example, Joe Henderson's own tribute to Miles Davis (So Near, So Far) succeeds because it updates Davis's music, especially some of his earliest recordings. See my previous post of this album for details. 

Jim Snidero's The Music of Joe Henderson offers fresh arrangements of Joe Henderson's works, many of which were written for tenor-led quintet or quartet formats. As I listen to Snidero's arrangements for sextet, I marvel at the strength of Henderson's legacy as a composer. Six of the eight tracks have become classic jazz repertoire and are instantly recognizable. Even "Black Narcissus" and "Afro-Centric," which debuted on Henderson's Power to the People (Milestone, 1969), are frequently covered by other musicians. All of Henderson's compositions are fascinating to study and easy to enjoy. 

The unifying thread across all eight numbers is Snidero's lyrical alto sax. Stylistically, Snidero owes an obvious debt to Cannonball Adderley, but as Zan Stewart's booklet notes clarify, Snidero's tone contains a rich "boppish tinge" that is all his own. Few tenorists, much less altoists, have ever sounded like Henderson, whose burnished tone and unique phrasing defy imitation. Snidero's reimagining of Henderson's classic songbook, composed originally for tenor sax, is exactly what a tribute album should be. 

The band are all experienced players who have gone on to represent the best of modern mainstream jazz. For his part, Conrad Herwig is a consummate section player who also delivers memorable solos. He appears to lay out on "Serenity," but delivers strong solos elsewhere, especially on the opening "If."

Joe Magnarelli, the third horn in the sextet, shines particularly on "Serenity," one of Henderson's greatest tunes. He is also featured on "Afro-Centric," taking advantage of the tune's additional blowing space. His section work is instrumental to the tight arrangements and cohesive sound of the full sextet. He has a bright tone reminiscent of Freddie Hubbard.

Pianist David Hazeltine is also the right player for Snidero's tribute, but he is not favored by Rudy Van Gelder's modified miking of the RVG studio piano, which loses much of its natural resonance. Regardless, his solo on "If" demonstrates his facility at a brisk tempo. He's one of the most dependable and prolific pianists on the scene today.

Stewart's informative booklet notes give a detailed view of Henderson's work and Snidero's connection to it. Notes like these are positive features of Double-Time releases that, unfortunately, are now difficult to find.

Steve Davis - Vibe Up! (Criss Cross, 1998)

Steve Davis, trombone
Steve Nelson, vibes
Peter Bernstein, guitar
David Hazeltine, piano
Peter Washington, bass
Joe Farnsworth, drums

Mike DiRubbo, alto sax

Recorded December 19, 1998
Systems Two, NYC
Engineer: Max Bolleman

By the late 1990s, Criss Cross had settled into a Blue Note‑like routine: regularly recording a tight circle of trusted musicians in shifting combinations. It continues to be a winning strategy for the label and a great opportunity for artists like Steve Davis to gain prominence as a leader.

Beginning his career in 1990 in a late version of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Davis had no apparent trouble getting gigs playing with groups led by artists like Jackie McLean, Leon Parker, Mario Pavone, and John Swana. Vibe Up! was Davis's third album as a leader and second for Criss Cross. Since 1998, he has recorded at least 20 albums and contributed to dozens more as a sideman or co-leader. Discogs catalogs over 170 appearances, and his pace of recording has not slowed down.

Vibe Up! is a bright, punchy set of five originals by the leader, two by guitarist Peter Bernstein, "The Summary" by Thad Jones, and Leonard Bernstein's "Somewhere." Davis's choice of instrumentation is unusual, if not unprecedented. The rhythm section is conventional, but a front line of two horns (trombone and alto sax), vibes, and guitar is a rarity. With five instruments capable of soloing on every tune, it's a challenge to write charts to handle the diversity. Davis not only handles the challenge but also exploits it to turn Vibe Up! into a modern classic. 

The first two tracks, both penned by the leader, illustrate Davis's approach to arranging. "Vibe Up!" is a cool cooker whereas "It's the Little Things that Count" has a sweet song-like melody. The theme statements on these originals pair trombone with vibes, creating an uncluttered combination of timbres. The solos on both tunes progress in orderly fashion over the sympathetic rhythm team.

Blue Domain's" boogaloo tempo harkens back to the Blue Note albums of the late 1960s. "Somewhere" is given a halting, up tempo treatment. Solos alternate walking beats and double-time choruses and a drum solo from Joe Farnsworth.

Thad Jones' "The Summary" first appeared on the Jones-Lewis big band's Suite for Pops (Horizon, 1975). It's the one true ballad on Vibe Up! Davis eschews a horn arrangement for "The Summary" and states the theme by himself on trombone. Peter Washington is featured on an extended bass solo. 

Perhaps the most interesting track on Vibe Up! is "Tournesol," which involves a modal shift in pace from 3/4 to 6/8. At first, it sounds like alternating 3/4 and 4/4, but closer listening reveals that the 3-beat simply accelerates into a 6/8 feel within each solo. It's a nice arranger's touch. Mike DiRubbo's Jackie Mclean-influenced alto on "Tournesol" has never sounded better. Although only appearing on three tracks, DiRubbo fills out the sound of the primary quintet. 

The secret star of the session, however, is Joe Farnsworth, whose unfaltering drum work gives the entire session a solid foundation.