Right On Time

Mabern, Harold
Smoke Sessions
Jazz | Jan 2014

Reviews

Fo
Reviewed 2014-01-30
HAROLD MABERN: Right On Time
Smoke Sessions, 2014

BOP PIANO – Oh, this is great! Recorded live at Smoke, a cramped club on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, veteran pianist Mabern (on the scene since the 1950s) leads an ace trio through uptempo romps and bluesy ballads. The laser-focused drumming of Joe Farnsworth pushes hard, and John Webber’s bass softens the texture. Real jazz, done right.

All really good. Fo’s Picks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8

1. 5:23 – hot riffing groove: piano rolls & drives over a rock-solid beat
2. 6:13 – bright, uptempo Miles Davis tune, swings hard, drum solo
3. 6:50 – ooo… nice! relaxed saloon piano really digs into it, bass solo
4. 6:20 – striding postbop drive a la Coltrane, exuberant, runs deep
5. 6:34 – relaxed ballad, romantic but not syrupy, with strong piano
6. 5:05 – a solid, snappy strut: one of two originals on the disc, grooves hard
7. 5:10 – wait a minute, is that the “Laverne & Shirley” theme?! why yes it is.
8. 5:41 – great Henry Mancini movie theme, with a thick, chunky swing
9. 4:44 – happy, lightly funky original with a latin beat
10. 7:04 – soft, sweet balladry: piano is light and elegant, very lively middle
11. 6:51 – high-speed bop workout, the drums are all over it

[ Fo ] - 30 January 2014

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Charting

2014-01-31 — 2014-04-04 Jazz
Week EndingAirplays
Apr 6 1
Mar 30 1
Mar 23 3
Mar 16 2
Mar 9 2
Mar 2 1
Feb 23 2
Feb 16 1

Track listing

1. Dance With Me
2. Seven Steps To Heaven
3. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
4. My Favorite Things
5. To You
6. Edward Lee
7. Making Our Dreams Come True
8. Charade
9. Blues For Frank 'n' Paul 'n' All
10. The Nearness Of You
11. Cherokee