Johnny Griffin Quartet
1. Blues for Gonzi
2. A Monk's Dream
3. 56 and Closing
Richie Cole Group
4. Hi Fly
5. I Can't Get Started
6. Punishment Blues
7. Yardbird Suite
8. Red Top
Johnny Griffin - Tenor sax (tracks 1-3)
Ronnie Matthews - Piano (tracks 1-3)
Ray Drummond - Bass (tracks 1-3)
Kenny Washington - Drums (tracks 1-3)
Richie Cole - Alto sax (tracks 4-8)
Bruce Forman - Guitar (tracks 4-8)
Bobby Enriquez - Piano (tracks 4-8)
Marshall Hawkins - Bass (tracks 4-8)
Scott Morris - Drums (tracks 4-8)
This interesting DVD features
two contrasting saxophonists, although not
both tenor-saxists (as the sleeve would have
you believe). They were recorded in 1981 at
the Village Vanguard club in New York for
the TV series The Jazz Life, produced
by Ben Sidran.
Tenor-saxist Johnny Griffin
is well-known as a fiery player and, as soon
as he appears on this DVD, he is cooking with
gas, playing a hot blues with a thousand notes
per minute and swinging without let-up. The
man's stamina seems phenomenal. Ronnie Matthews'
piano solo is unaccompanied to start with
and mainly composed of chords, although he
develops later into single lines. Griffin
returns to interact with drummer Kenny Washington,
with the saxist taking four bars to Kenny's
eight - all very frenetic. The title - Blues
for Gonzi - is explained by Griffin as
a dedication to vocalist Babs Gonzales.
A Monk's Dream (like
the two other tracks) is a Griffin original,
and the piano introduction clearly refers
to Thelonious Monk. When Johnny states the
melody, it is very much in Monk's up-and-down
style (up, down and sideways). The sax and
piano solos have some of Monk's waywardness.
The final 56 and Closing is a lively,
bluesy tune taken at a racing tempo. Johnny
Griffin appears to play without stopping to
take breath and the group is still in full
flow when the film is faded out for the credits.
Filmed in the semi-darkness
of a nightclub, the picture sometimes makes
details hard to distinguish. But the group's
dynamism comes across undiluted, and Ray Drummond's
well-amplified double bass can be clearly
heard, anchoring the band firmly.
After such frantic activity,
you might think that altoist Richie Cole would
be an anti-climax, but he has plenty of exciting
moments as well as giving some restrained
performances. His group opens with a samba
featuring solos from the clipped staccato
guitar of Bruce Forman and the Latin-flavoured
piano of Bobby Enriquez. Bobby is a very percussive
pianist who often uses his fists and elbows.
In fact he tends to steal the show.
Richie Cole is the featured
soloist in a lyrical interpretation of I
Can't Get Started. In complete contrast,
Punishment Blues is a sleazy number
which keeps reverting to the Dragnet
theme to underline its inspiration from the
criminal element. Richie's alto sax screams
and screeches dramatically. Charlie Parker's
Yardbird Suite is more straightforward
bebop, with a scintillating piano solo that
again is packed with adrenalin.
The short closing Red
Top fades out to accommodate the closing
titles, which include the unbelievable credit
"Directed by Parker Y. Bird". For an hour
of exhilarating jazz, this DVD is worth buying
not only for saxophone enthusiasts but for
anyone who wants jazz that is simultaneously
vibrant and thoughtful.
Tony Augarde
CD Reviews
Storyville Films 26075
