Harold Mabern - Afro Blue (2015)

2015-06-05T15:42:49Z

Harold Mabern - Afro Blue (2015)


01. The Chief [05:07]
02. Afro Blue [05:25]
03. The Man from Hyde Park [05:51]
04. Fools Rush In [04:35]
05. Don't Misunderstand [04:22]
06. I'll Take Romance [03:49]
07. My One and Only Love [05:38]
08. Billie's Bounce [04:23]
09. Portrait of Jennie [05:38]
10. You Needed Me [04:01]
11. Such Is Life [05:07]
12. Do It Again [05:18]
13. Mozzin' [05:50]
14. Bobby, Benny, Jymie, Lee, Bu [04:28]

Harold Mabern - Piano
Eric Alexander - Sax (Tenor)
Peter Bernstein - Guitar
Alexis Cole - Vocals
Kurt Eiling - Vocals
Joe Farnsworth - Drums
Norah Jones - Vocals
Jane Monheit - Vocals
Jeremy Pelt - Trumpet
Gregory Porter 	- Vocals
Steve Turre - Trombone
John Webber – Bass

Though elder statesman Harold Mabern’s blocky, aggressive piano style may seem better suited to the small army of horn players he’s worked with—from Miles, Ornette and Freddie Hubbard to George Coleman and Eric Alexander—it’s worth remembering that Mabern’s early career also placed him with Betty Carter, Johnny Hartman, Sarah Vaughan and Joe Williams. At age 78 he remains a sterling vocal accompanist, as demonstrated across this album featuring five of the finest singers around: Kurt Elling, Gregory Porter, Jane Monheit, Norah Jones and Alexis Cole.

Alongside regular trio mates John Webber (bass) and Joe Farnsworth (drums), Mabern bookends the album with original instrumental tributes, opening with the propulsive “The Chief,” for John Coltrane, with guests Alexander (on tenor) and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, and closing with the ice-cool swinger “Bobby, Benny, Jymie, Lee, Bu.”

Porter steps in for another salute, the Mabern-penned “The Man From Hyde Park,” for Herbie Hancock, and a blistering treatment of the title track. Jones shines on “Fools Rush In” and the misty “Don’t Misunderstand.” Monheit’s kittenish allure is gorgeously realized on a lilting “I’ll Take Romance” and a satiny “My One and Only Love.” Evincing strong echoes of Chris Connor, Cole traverses another original, Mabern’s breezily philosophic “Such Is Life.” And Elling, distinctive as ever, helps define three widely diverse tracks: a sizzling, scat-fueled “Billie’s Bounce”; a tenderly reflective “Portrait of Jennie”; and this project’s biggest surprise, a near-anthemic rendering of the Anne Murray hit “You Needed Me.” --- Christopher Loudon, jazztimes.com

One of several excellent hard bop pianists from the Memphis area, Harold Mabern has led relatively few dates through the years, but he has always been respected by his contemporaries. He played in Chicago with MJT + 3 in the late '50s and then moved to New York in 1959. Mabern worked with Jimmy Forrest, Lionel Hampton, the Jazztet (1961-1962), Donald Byrd, Miles Davis (1963), J.J. Johnson (1963-1965), Sonny Rollins, Freddie Hubbard, Wes Montgomery, Joe Williams (1966-1967), and Sarah Vaughan. During 1968-1970, Mabern led four albums for Prestige, he was with Lee Morgan in the early '70s, and in 1972, he recorded with Stanley Cowell's Piano Choir. Harold Mabern has recorded as a leader for DIW/Columbia and Sackville and toured with the Contemporary Piano Ensemble (1993-1995). ---Scott Yanow, Rovi

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Harold Mabern - Mabern Plays Mabern (2020)

2020-09-27T09:18:06Z

Harold Mabern - Mabern Plays Mabern (2020)


1	Mr. Johnson
2	The Iron Man
3	Lover Man
4	The Lyrical Cole-Man
5	Edward Lee
6	It’s Magic
7	The Beehive
8	Rakin’ and Scrapin’

Harold Mabern: piano
Eric Alexander: saxophone, tenor
John Webber: bass, acoustic
Joe Farnsworth: drums
Steve Davis: trombone
Vincent Herring: saxophone

A tad more subdued than the barn-burning The Iron Man: Live At Smoke (Smoke Sessions Records, 2019), Mabern Plays Mabern still manages to jump full throttle from where that defining recording left us, with a lush, lyrical intensity and a vital, legacy-culling energy which plays as an exquisite coda to the pianist's long, outstanding career.

Alive with the same stylist's intuition and unbridled spirit which found him cutting through the ranks with such contemporaries as Charles Lloyd and Steve Coleman, and had him sitting on many notable sessions with, among others, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Archie Shepp and Sarah Vaughan, the 81-year-old gentleman bopper takes to the spotlight and the stage, and celebrates our common humanity joyously with a virile drive that will surely stun young lions half his age.

Riding rubato into his rollicking tribute to J.J. Johnson, stalwart saxophonist Eric Alexander launches into the first of many flights of high-stakes frenzy as Mabern comps raucously behind him, buoyed by long-standing bassist John Webber and drummer Joe Farnsworth on high heat. The guest addition of trombonistSteve Davis gives the performance added zest, to the great delight of the Smoke audience.

Mabern and Alexander trade blows (and Farnsworth solos for all he is worth) on "The Lyrical Cole-Man" a fevered nod to Coleman, whom he remained close friends with till the end. 1968's "Rakin' and Scrapin" makes its second, though lengthier rock solid appearance in as many recordings. Mabern's big hands swing a lot like, well, the Mabern of '68. Webber and Farnsworth hold steady with a soulful groove as Alexander sails and wails along. "The Beehive" buzzes as Alexander and special guestVincent Herring's winding alto sax leap and bound, play tag, and fuel each other's performance. A fitting farewell, indeed. ---Mark Jurkovic, allaboutjazz.com

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