Return of the Guitar Man - The New York City Jazz Record

Can’t We Be Friends
Jerry Costanzo (Daywood Drive)
by Marcia Hillman
Vocalist Jerry Costanzo belongs to the time-honored
species known as crooners - his job is to tell stories
with songs. The stories he has chosen to tell in his new
CD are all from the rich American songbook and he has
also picked some fine musicians to help him with the
task: Andy Farber (saxophones/flute and arranger),
Mike Carubia (trumpet/flugelhorn), Tedd Firth
(piano), Joe Cohn (guitar), Mark Sherman (vibraphone),
Ben Wolfe (bass) and Jimmy Madison (drums).
Costanzo’s voice - clear with warm bottom tones
and easy on the ear - is ably suited to the task of
crooning. His storytelling ability displays his love of a
good lyric and there are plenty of them on this offering.
Starting off with “East of the Sun (West of the Moon)”
in a medium tempo, Costanzo glides through the tune,
accompanied by some tasty work by Farber on flute.
Costanzo sings both verse and chorus of the title song,
the arrangement featuring solo work by all of the
instruments. In addition to these, there are other tracks
on this album that will most likely receive good airplay
on “Music of Your Life” stations (ie, Adult Standards).
“Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps” starts off in rumba tempo
with Costanzo’s straightforward vocal and then is led
October 4
Ted Curson and Friends
October 11
Daoud David Williams and
Spirit of Life Ensemble
October 18
Annual Dizzy Birthday Celebration with
Mike Longo’sNY State of the Art Jazz
Ensemble with Hilary Gardner and special
guests Annie Ross and Jimmy Owens.
One show at 8:00 PM followed by free film
showing of Dizzy in his prime.
October 25
Cecil Bridgewater Aggregation Big Band
into 4/4 time by sax and vibes before returning to the
initial feel. “I Just Can’t See For Looking”, a Nat Cole
chestnut, is done with just a piano trio sound, featuring
some nice work by Wolfe. The Burke-Van Heusen song
“Oh, You Crazy Moon” is neatly arranged with muted
trumpet, piano and bass statements plus Cohn’s
smooth guitar fills; Cohn also dazzles with his
sparkling runs on “Mean To Me”. This one also has
Costanzo singing the verse, but only after he has sung
the song straight through first. The lovely ballad
“Penthouse Serenade” is a winner with a nice sound
provided by the combination of flute, vibraphone and
piano plus Costanzo’s gentle vocal. “Mean To Me” and
“Stairway to the Stars” are also notable for Farber’s
inspired participation.
This is a well-paced, beautifully arranged album,
all about the singer and the songs, which contain some
of the best lyrics and melodies ever written. Lots of
goodies here to enjoy time and time again.
For more information, visit daywooddrive.com. Costanzo is
at Feinstein’s Oct. 19th. See Calendar.
Something Beautiful
Eric Reed (WJ3)
by Laurel Gross
Eric Reed has ‘It’ - that indefinable something that
sets someone apart from the crowd. However you
analyze it, this earnest pianist has the technique,
feeling, inventiveness, knowledge, good taste and
focus to deliver highly enjoyable musical experiences.
On his new CD Reed plays with calm assurance
and a seriousness of purpose that is never somber but
instead lends charming freshness and even a sense of
deeply rooted spirituality to an eclectic mix of songs.
These hail from the universes of the Great American
Songbook, classics created by masters of jazz, pop and
gospel as well as two stunning originals, the title track
(which is indeed ‘something beautiful’) and the closing
“If I Knew You”, an exquisite tribute to the grandparents
Reed never met. Reed honors melody and his devotion
to lyricism as well as some unusual harmonies and
reliable rhythms add to the appeal of these 11 tracks.
His elegant handling of the keys combined with his
personal faith (Reed is Minister of Music at Agape
Christian Fellowship in Los Angeles) adds a hymn-like
gravitas to Billy Joel’s pop tune “Honesty” that is
eminently likeable while the modern spiritual “Lift Up
Your Hands to the Lord” is as engaging as any good,
popular tune.
The slow-tempo Rodgers-Hart “I Still Believe in
You” and Irving Berlin’s “How Deep Is the Ocean?”
are like nobody else’s take and Noel Coward’s “Mad
About the Boy” benefits from a Latin spin expertly
aided by the suave but never superficial flavorings of
bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Rodney Green.
Nods go to Dave Brubeck (“In Your Own Sweet Way”),
Lucky Thompson (“Sun Out”) and Tony Williams
(“Citadel”) and to a tune associated with TV’s Grey’s
Anatomy (Jesse Tabish’s “Black Tables”). The setlist is
excellent but the tempos of these tunes are a bit too
similar in their somewhat leisurely pace, begging for a
bit more variation in the program. But that’s a quibble…
If you find yourself short of heart, you might want to
step in and borrow some from Eric Reed.
For more information, visit williejones3.com. Reed is at
Rose Theatre Oct. 25th and 28th-29th. See Calendar.
THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD | October 2011 33