Our Review
New Yorker Eddie Allen has assembled a sassy brass quartet (plus acoustic bass and some percussion), generating white heat and a slow burn for the holidays. His Jazzy Brass for the Holidays presents a friendly melange of relaxed improvisations that should properly roast your chestnuts.
The album has a vibrant jazz core, but remains wholly accessible to jazz-phobic folks who might prefer the safety of popular standards with predictable arrangements. Everything is recognizable here; the melodies bend and swing in lyrical ways that remain true to each tune's essence. The vibe is light, like these are old pals getting together to celebrate the season without taking themselves too seriously. It's almost as though you have accidentally stumbled upon their jam session; just pull up a stool, sip your eggnog, and enjoy!
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing makes quite the statement, opening with super-traditional bars, then deconstructing into a riot of cross conversations among the brass instruments. So cool! In fact, many cuts employ exciting mixes of tempos, rhythms, and styles; Away in a Manger (medley) initially has a reverential quality, then morphs into a sly, New Orleans-style, bluesy wah-wah treatment. Every track has a fascinating story to tell; you have to be ready for anything and everything here!
Eddie Allen handles all of the arrangements here, and they are clever and very well-executed. This is grand entertainment on multiple levels. My favorite cut? Hard to say, but I suppose that Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!, which is the longest piece and possesses a cool bass opening, is right up there. Go Tell It on the Mountain, We Three Kings, and The Little Drummer Boy are outstanding, too.
Jazz fans, this is easy. Not a jazz fan? Broaden your horizons. Eddie Allen will be your excellent tour guide; enjoy Jazzy Brass for the Holidays!
--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2009)
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From the liner notes:
Eddie Allen: Trumpet (Leader)
Cecil Bridgewater: Trumpet
W. Marshall Sealy: French horn
Clark Gayton: Trombone
Kenny Davis: Acoustic Bass
Carl Allen: Drums & Glockenspiel
All compositions arranged by Eddie Allen
From the Website:
Trumpeter, composer, arranger, author...Eddie Allen is one of the more versatile musicians on the New York scene. He's called upon to play everything from jazz (big band as well as small ensembles) to R&B/Pop to latin to symphonic to Broadway, and everything in between.
He studied music, theory and arranging at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music in Milwaukee and the University of Wisconsin in Green Bay before moving to the east coast. He then attended the William Paterson University of New Jersey where he received a Bachelor of Music degree. Since his arrival on the New York scene he's worked with such jazz greats as; Art Blakey, Billy Harper, Randy Weston, Dizzy Gillespie, Henry Threadgill, Bobby Watson, Jon Faddis, Benny Carter, Panama Francis, Joe Henderson and Steve Turre.
He has recorded and performed with, as well as composed for: Louis Hayes, Lester Bowie, Jack McDuff, Etta Jones & Houston Person, Mongo Santamaria, Chico Freeman, Charli Persip, Vanessa Rubin and Muhal Richard Abrams.
He's performed in the orchestras of such Broadway hits as: Ain't Misbehavin', Black & Blue, Side Show, Jelly's Last Jam, Five Guys Named Mo' and Rollin' On the T.O.B.A.
Eddie Allen
Jazzy Brass for the Holidays
Artist link
Label: DBCD
Length: 45 minutes
Genre: Jazz
Release: 2009
Track List
| Song Title |
|---|
| It Came Upon the Midnight Clear |
| Go Tell It on the Mountain |
| God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen |
| Hark! The Herald Angels Sing |
| Away in a Manger (medley) |
| Frosty the Snowman |
| Jingle Bells |
| What Child Is This? |
| Deck the Halls |
| Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! |
| We Three Kings |
| Good King Wenceslas/Cool King Wenceslas |
| The Little Drummer Boy |
| O Holy Night |