Bringing Jazz Home
Review of Larchmont Saxophonist David Brandom's New CD

by Richard Cohn

(October 16, 2002 ) Ah, pity the poor jazz enthusiasts. Now that practically an entire century of music has been re-mastered, reissued and "boxed set" to exhaustion, what’s left? Smooth Jazz has become the auditory equivalent of Prozac. The curious cadre of young turks seem more eager to display a mastery of their tools than inspired to use them to create something of substance. And all that meticulous recreating of music from the past can give you the willies--like those Civil War battle re-enactors who can’t seem to lose themselves enough in their obsession with a by-gone era. The situation appears hopeless, until we venture out from under the clouds of gloom and do a little exploring outside the main thoroughfares of musical commerce. So that’s what I’ve been doing. Talking to people. Wandering the Web, checking out what’s happening locally, and as luck has it I’ve found quite a lot. And one of the very best things I found was here in my own backyard. In fact I found it at Home.

Home is the title of the latest CD from saxophonist/composer David Brandom. (now available online at DavidBrandom.com). A Larchmont resident for the last 13 years, David has had a career that is as distinguished as it is eclectic. The list is too lengthy for this article, but here are some highlights: four years on tour with Frank Sinatra; work with Tony Bennett, Billy Joel, Natalie Cole, Elton John, Sting, James Taylor, the Temptations, Randy Brecker, Bill Charlip John Faddis: played in scores of Broadway shows including Ain’t Misbehavin, Chicago, Grease; studied with Don Sebesky, Michael Brecker, George Coleman, Eddie Daniels and that’s not even the half of it. Chances are, even if you’ve never heard of David Brandom, you’ve heard him, and most likely, quite a bit.

Brandom plays with mind-boggling technique and seasoned assurance. On tenor sax he’s in complete command of a bold rich sound that he adjusts and shapes to suit every setting. His solos swing and soar with purpose and clarity, and he never plays a note that isn’t meaningful or compelling. Yet what makes Brandom most remarkable is that he plays and composes the kind of music that will satisfy the most demanding jazz lover while pleasing and perhaps even thrilling those who couldn’t tell the difference between Monk and Mantovanni.

Excepting Wes Montgomery’s ‘Full House”, every selection on Home is a Brandom composition. With each he breathes new life into a style that harkens back to the work of such artists as Horace Silver, Joe Henderson, Lee Morgan, Herbie Hancock and others whose recordings from the fifties and sixties these tracks seem to reconjure in the minds’ ear. I found myself smiling when the first seven notes of the melody on a track entitled “Gusano Loco” paid homage to Horace Silver and then took off on it’s own fresh path to something entirely new and original. And like many of the classic Blue Note records that combined superior artistry with accessible forms and rhythms, this music digs a groove deep enough to lie in for hours.

Brandom’s music on Home offers a feast of pleasures over the course of nine distinctly different compositions--each with its own richly developed character. The up-tempo tunes, especially one entitled "Flat Out", come at you like hot peppers in a smooth sauce-- the tempo is blazing but it never feels breathless or hasty. The ballads, including the title cut, are graceful and serene but never sentimental or maudlin. This is mature music with a youthful spirit. It’s willing and able to go exploring and take risks, yet too experienced to get lost and too wise to flirt with disaster.

On Home, Brandom leads a sextet powerfully poised to handle his elegant harmonies and tightly structured compositions. Jim O’Connor on trumpet and flugelhorn is a force to be reckoned with. Besides the imaginative soloing and flawless execution, the tone is what grabs you. I was reminded of Thad Jones and Clifford Brown more than a few times. Tim Regusis on piano is a revelation. His comping is as stirring and soulful as his solos, and chorus after chorus, he keeps coming up with new ideas that surprise and delight. Steve Cardenas on guitar has a few chances to shine as well and makes the most of it with great taste and flair. He’s got an approach that reminded me of Jim Hall with his warm tone and spacious phrasing. Cliff Schmitt on bass and Ron Vincent on drums are more than just the glue that holds this music together. After listening to the CD a few times, I became more and more aware of how remarkable their contribution was. Every groove is set up perfectly, and then new colors and textures are added without ever diminishing the sense of forward motion that provides even the ballads with an inner pulse that never stops swinging. Vincent is a magician (listen to his cymbal work on "MOB") and Schmitt is just so smartly attuned to every nuance in every measure that the effect is mesmerizing.

I met David briefly before listening to his music and he made light of his choice of Home as the title for this CD. In retrospect, I suspect he was being too modest. Home is the perfect title for this music. Home is where we can kick back and relax. Home is where we can put the world on hold and replenish our spirits. And most importantly, home is where the heart is. That, and a lot of other good stuff, is what this music is all about.

Nearly fifty years ago, when Swing, Be-Bop, Cool, Free Jazz, and a few other sub-genres were all at different stages of their popularity and influence, Louis Armstrong was asked to comment on the current state of the art. In his inimitable manner, Louis simply replied " There’s only two kinds of music. Good music and bad music." I think Louis would have dug David Brandom.

Richard Cohn is a creative marketing consultant, and amateur guitarist residing in Larchmont.

Larchmont Gazette caught a brief glimpse of David Brandom and his band at one of their regular haunts - the Watercolor Cafe on the Boston Post Road (Check out the dining review and Brandom video clip.) To learn more about David, his music and his live performing schedule, or to order the Home CD, visit the website: DavidBrandon.com.

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