Mike Leonne - Waltz for an Urbanite (Criss Cross, 1995)

Mike LeDonne, piano
Peter Bernstein, guitar
Steve Nelson, vibes

Peter Washington, bass
Kenny Washington, drums

Recorded June 17, 1995

Systems Two, NYC

Engineer: Max Bolleman

I learned about Mike LeDonne's quintet from an entry in the Penguin Guide. With Peter Bernstein, Steve Nelson, and the Washingtons on this date, I could not go wrong with Waltz of an Urbanite. These were all accomplished artists, seemingly groomed to keep the flame alive as the superstars of the 50s and 60s began to fade from the scene.

Waltz for an Urbanite is distinctive in part because the instrumentation is rare in jazz, and for good reason. Piano, vibes and guitar occupy the same harmonic space, which leads to potential overlap and competition. (Bassist Peter Washington plays a third string instrument in the quintet but operates safely a few octaves below the piano, vibes and guitar). 

Solutions to harmonic crowding might involve unison playing, as in the George Shearing Quintet of the 1950s, or dividing the responsibility for melody and chords to avoid overlap. Key examples of this solution are Wes Montgomery and Milt Jackson's Bags Meets Wes (Verve, 1961), Laurindo Almeida with the Modern Jazz Quartet (Collaboration, Atlantic, 1965), and Gary Burton's Like Minds (Concord, 1998). 

LeDonne rises to the challenge with alternating strategies. First, playing melodies in unison produces a pleasing blend of timbres across plucked and hammered strings and metal bars. Unison lines produce a complex, shimmering texture not dominated by any single instrument.  

Second, the piano may comp behind vibes and guitar solos, providing chordal support and freeing the harmonic space for the soloist. The result is an uncluttered sound that allows each soloist to interpret LeDonne's compositions, especially the title track. LeDonne's ingenious arrangements for the quintet distinguish every track on Waltz for an Urbanite, resulting in a swinging, updated sound. 

I affectionately refer to "the Washingtons," Peter and Kenny, who are not related but who play together often as two thirds of the Bill Charlap trio. They appear together on at least 21 other Criss Cross albums, and their contributions to Waltz for an Urbanite are note-perfect. Listen to the mystical aura in Kenny's introduction to "Tranquility." Together, the Washingtons complete the quintet's sonic palette.