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"LH & The CCP" - Misc. Short Quotes & Reviews Nice to hear a couple of tribute albums that don't slavishly imitate the originals but instead carry on the spirit and inspiration." Luther Hughes' Cannonball-Coltrane Project CD is well put together; it is wonderfully arranged and is pleasant listening. Those saxes (Glenn & Bruce) really played their buns off. They gave me some good stuff to steal. Dazzlingly brilliant! Luther Hughes' (Cannonball/Coltane) Project reflects the ambient spirit and sounds of the celebrated tandem of Cannonball and Trane. The band's interpretive wherewithall nail down the essential groove and authenticity that creates a joyous swingfest. This is, first and foremost, a straight-ahead swinging bop CD which happens to honor Cannonball and Coltrane by playing a few tunes they wrote as well as originals in the style of the two icon at their peak. Luther Hughes has assembled a cooking quintet featuring the tenor of Glenn Cashman and the alto of Bruce Babad. Certainly, this album captures the fire, excitement and, if you will, the "flavor" of these great innovators without ever trying to copy their sound. The real heart of swinging, artful jazz is what this CD is all about. (4 1/2 stars) The foundation for this project is the 1959 album featuring Trane and Cannonball. But it is much more than a copy. These guys are a swinging band that used the historical recording and subsequent music from the aforementioned legends as an inspiration. The session includes a little bit of bossa nova on "Partido Mar Vista", some blues with hints of gospel on "Julian" featuring Glenn Cashman on tenor sax and a ballad "Trane Remembered" featuring Bruce Babad on alto sax. The sole remake from the album is a cooker, "Limehouse Blues" but they also play a nice arrangement of Trane's "Impressions". Hughes (b) does an excellent job leading the crew. This is a winner! (4/4 out of 5/5 rating) The music is timeless, in the spirit of that classic Cannonball/Coltrane session - and the playing is superb. Luther Hughes and his new band captures the excitment of that original band (Cannonball & Coltrane from the 1959 recording, "The Cannonball Adderly Quintet in Chicago") with their own fresh, unique swinging style! Very, very good. The music leaves no question unanswered. I love it. I was terribly impressed. The bass playing was marvelous all the way through …a 5 star album all around. A beautiful job by all the players involved. Oh jump for joy! Having known them, I believe Cannonball and Coltrane would have loved this music and would have loved to play with this band. It's the right spirit and the right tunes. It has the material that a good player can stretch out on and express oneself. All the players on this recording are top quality; they understand the music and perform it beautifuly. If Cannonball and Trane were here I'm sure they would have given it two thumbs up. If Cannonball had heard this CD, I think he would have chuckled and said, "Very hip! There is a vigor, a charge, a warmth to Luther Hughes' Cannonball-Coltrane band, an ensemble inspired by the rightly revered "Cannonball Adderley Quintet in Chicago" Mercury album. That LP was recorded in the Windy City in 1959 by Miles Davis' band of the period minus Miles: Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb. There's good reason why the music those eventual masters played then, and the disarmingly simple concept they employed, ages so well: jazz with melodic heft underpinned by an undulating swing feeling never gets old. This CD is of like mind: tunes that are both fun and engaging to listen to offered with gusto and heart by artists who, by their verve and intent, bring this music to life, make it absolutely now. What's not contemporary about riding the wave of a beat, feeling the curve of a melody? The top rate Luther Hughes, Tom Ranier, Paul Kreibich, Bruce Babad, Glenn Cashman, Ed Czach, and Tony Poingsett all swing so hard you can't help but dance somehow. Now that's something worth checking out. I knew Cannonball and Trane, and I think they would have taken this music--which has such a good vibe and played by such great players--as a compliment. We got a chance to give a pre-release spin to the much-anticipated new disc from bassist Luther Hughes, "The Cannonball-Coltrane Project," which re-calls the collaborations of saxophone giants Cannonball Adderley and John Coltrane. The disc is out in January and the combo will be at the Performing Arts Center Jazz Club the same month. Keep an eye out for this one, but only if you like completely unfettered, acoustic jazz anchored by two burning saxists, Glenn Cashman and Bruce Babad. A worthy and honest tribute. I like it! The Cannonball-Coltrane Project jumps right out of the gate, avoiding the warhorses and instead dusting off some almost forgotten gems. Bruce and Glenn succeed in paying tribute to their inspirations, evoking without mimicking or copying. And Bruce's "The Old Ball and Trane" wins the Hippest Title of the Year award! This is tough, straight-ahead bebop; it is also extremely listenable (i.e., radio friendly). Every track is playable, which should make for a high spin count (as the promotes say) at even the most conservative jazz stations. Okay, Limehouse swings pretty hard; but even it should get past the Bebop Police that are in charge everywhere now. O's Notes: The foundation for this project is the 1959 album featuring Trane and Cannonball. But it is much more than a copy. These guys are a swinging band that used the historical recording and subsequent music from the aforementioned legends as an inspiration. The session includes a little bit of bossa nova on "Partido Mar Vista," some blues with hints of gospel on "Julian" featuring Bruce Babad on alto sax and a ballad, "Trane Remembered," featuring Glenn Cashman on tenor sax. The sole remake from the album is a cooker, "Limehouse Blues," but they also play a nice arrangement of Trane's "Impressions." Hughes (b) does an excellent job leading the crew. This is a winner! |
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