With Roses
Triangle 7, 2023
8/10
The tenor sax wizard Harry Allen has recorded over 70 albums as leader, and this installment includes 10 originals composed by Roger Frankham with co-writers Bruce Brown, Roger Schore and Mark Winkler for the swinging, melodic listen.
“It Catches Up With You In The End” opens the listen with Warren Vache and Freddie Hendrix’s bright trumpets complementing Allen’s soaring sax in the agile and timeless jazz climate, and “Be The One” follows with dreamy flutes from Steve Kenyon and Kathleen Nester that help make for an intimate climate next to Lucy Yeghiazaryan’s soulful pipes.
Halfway through, “That Far Away Fella” spotlights John DiMartino’s elegant piano and Aaron Kimmel’s light drumming with much maturity, while “Diamonds” allows for Peter Anderson, Will Anderson and Dan Block’s well timed clarinet amid Yeghiazaryan’s poetic pipes.
Close to the end, the emotive “With Roses” benefits much from Mike Karn’s soft bass and reflective singing, and “On My Way” exits with Grant Stewart’s tenor sax and John Allred’s moody trombone making for a rich and memorable finish.
A listen with no lack of melodic and harmonic gestures, Allen and company get friendly with bossa ideas, swing adventurously and flirt with waltz moments, too, across this diverse and forever relevant jazz affair.
Travels well with: Plan R- R For Romeo; The Matt Gordy Jazz Tonite Sextet- Be With Me