Contemporary Jazz

9 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Modern Creative Jazz, JAZZ: Mainstream Jazz



Details:
Al Thompson Jrâs compositions cover myriad of jazz styles, as evidenced by his wide variety of influences. Al cites such diverse musical personalities as Scott Joplin, Horace Silver, Miles Davis, and Claude Debussy as major influences in his playing and compositions. Al also spent some time studying with the great jazz composer/arranger Bill Finegan, who told Al, when looking over âCity Mainstream,â to âgo write twelve more like it.â Fortunately for us, Al took Billâs advice to heart and thus represented here on this release are nine compositions along with contributions by his friend (his âStrayhornâ) co-composer Calvin Thomas. As the arranger on this project, it is a pleasure to work with an old friend, be free to arrange such wonderful and challenging music and to work with the many talented musicians represented here on this recording.

One need only listen to the âother-worldlyâ tune âThe Chaseâ followed by the âfilm noir-esqueâ romantic âMemories Of A Moonlit Nightâ to marvel at and appreciate the diversity of Alâs musical mind. âCity Mainstreamâ is timeless in its melody, almost âTV theme-likeâ and evokes images of driving on a bustling downtown street. Talent runs in the family as Alâs brother, Gary, contributed the lyrics to âA Man in Love.â âFrom The Beginningâ is Alâs homage to Horace Silver, marking the recording debut of 15 year old trombonist, Drake Smith Jr., whose mature playing certainly belies his age. It should also be noted that the recording sessions were such fun that it just seemed natural to leave Kris Jensenâs contagious laugh at the end of the tune. âThe Chargeâ is a composition whose construction began with the bass line. Saxophonist Kris Jensen soars on âHigh Speed the Ride,â while the rhythm section firmly anchors the alternating funk and straight ahead sections. The melody of âOne Town One Peopleâ seems reminiscent of an old jazz standard of which one just canât quite remember the name. Concluding this release is a wonderful live performance of â8th Avenue Safari,â painting a vivid musical picture of a Saturday walk in New York City. As different as these compositions may appear initially, astute listeners will be able to identify a similarity, a common thread among the nine pieces presented here. They represent the wonderfully unique musical voice of Al Thompson Jr.
- Drake Smith -