Sax player Tim Armacost has assembled a top band to play numbers that include John Handy's 'Dance to the Lady' and drum icon - and on the album with him fellow American - Al Foster's 'The Chief'. Plus there's a not massively heard Thelonious Monk piece 'Oska T' these days included here which is cool.
The name of the piece refers to a jazz radio journalist and presenter called Oscar Treadwell who died 16 years ago but the piece goes much further back, first appearing on Monk 1964 Columbia live album Big Band and Quartet In Concert. Both Charlie Parker and Wardell Gray also wrote tunes honouring Treadwell.
Big contemporary names stud Something About Believing. So it's John Patitucci on bass and Armacost is joined by his fellow saxist Gary Smulyan and trumpet legend Tom Harrell complete the quintet. Read a review of Harrell's Alternate Summer run in these pages recently. There's also another piece where Patitucci figures. He plays such a strong role on Geoffrey Keezer's brilliant Chick and Wayne homage, Live at Birdland.
Throwback machine - Live at Smalls
Harrell and Armacost go way back to the beginning of the saxist's recording career when the trumpeter was on the superbly gutsy late-1990s Double-Time Live at Smalls release.
Tunes also include a version of Harold Land's 'Vendetta' and a version of Armacost's 'DisUnited States' that's been in his repertoire for some years - check out a live version above on YouTube filmed in 2018.
The verdict? Solid, satisfying meat and potatoes comfort blanket listening especially if you are a hard bop and tough talking horns fan and like to bask in the glow radiated by all these superlative instrumentalists and the sheer natural voltage they all generate.
All concerned inhabit the material and lap it up like mother's milk. They know about communication more than most.
Tim Armacost, above left, with John Patitucci and Al Foster. Photo: via TMA on Bandcamp
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