Heavy Artillery

HOWARD ALDEN & ANDY BROWN: Heavy Artillery
Delmark, 2013

MAINSTREAM JAZZ – Two hard-swinging guitars anchor a pleasing quartet date. The CD says Alden is in the right channel, but the promo sheet says it’s the left. Either way, both these guys have chops to spare, making this simple session fun, snappy and grooving. No originals, but they mostly stay clear of the usual standard fare, so it all sounds fresh.

All good! Fo’s Picks: 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 10

1. 6:26 – light, breezy swing gets happy in the middle, everybody gets solos
2. 5:54 – bright, uptempo bop romp: both guitars sing over snappy rhythm
3. 6:30 – upbeat bossa nova, bouncy bassline and happy guitars
4. 6:16 – gentle ballad, just the guitars: has a warm, cozy feel
5. 5:10 – jaunty little stroll, bounces merrily along
6. 6:11 – uptempo swinger, nice parallel guitars in the theme, everyone clicks
7. 6:13 – another bossa nova: airy start, then a solid midtempo bounce
8. 5:29 – relaxed Django Reinhardt lope: guitars skip lightly, nice bass break
9. 5:42 – uptempo, oddball tune: propulsive rhythm, roller-coaster lines
10. 5:55 – midtempo stroll, just two guitars having a good time

[ Fo ] - 5 January 2014