The Sounds Around The House
Self-Released, 2020
8/10
Listen to The Sounds Around The House
The tenor sax extraordinaire Jeff Ellwood is in great company on this first album as band leader, where Alan Pasqua contributes piano, while Darek Oles and Joe Labarbera handle the rhythm section on these 9 creative jazz tunes.
Ellwood starts the listen with his warm sax prowess on the lively and elegant “U-R”, where Labarbera’s frisky drumming makes an impression, and “Agrodolce” follows with Pasqua’s mature keys that align perfectly with the soulful delivery from Ellwood.
Closer to the middle, “Provence” recruits Bob Sheppard on tenor sax for a gentle, reflective tone, while “The Sounds Around The House” resides closer to balladry with sublime interaction between the esteemed players. “King Henry”, an exceptional track, then glides with a swift pace of timeless, dynamic jazz sensibilities.
“The Honeymoon” and “For Roger” finish off the album, where the former swings with a whole lot of fun amid flowing melodies, and the latter exits with much beauty in its bare display as Ellwood’s passionate sax and Oles’ deft bass work together with plenty of emotion.
Ellwood and company pull off some excellent interpretations here while also giving us well crafted originals, too. If you’ve got an ear for saxophone fueled song craft and/or no frills jazz, The Sounds Around The House won’t disappoint.
Travels well with: Max Haymer- Whirlwind: Live At Sam First; The Michael O’Neill Quartet- And Then It Rained