AprilCadence2013

ROY ASSAF,
RESPECT, VOL. 1,
JAZZ LEGACY
PRODUCTIONS 1101017.
Roy Assaf, p; Rueben Rogers,
b; Greg Hutchinson, d. With:
-1: Eric Alexander, ts; Greg
Gisbert, Stanton Caldwell III,
Buster Tate, Al Viento, Simon
Goh, tpt; Michael Dease, tba;
Eric Miller, Stafford Floyd, tb;
Robert Edwards, btb; David
Peel, fr hn; Yotam Silberstein,
goud, Tarik Zephram, kora;
Vanderlei Pereira, Evan
Sherman, Vincent Ector, Roger
Squitero, perc; The Karmic
Voices; Birds Of Planet Earth.
-2: Roy Hargrove, flgh;
Gisbert, Tate, tpt; Sharel
Cassidy, a fl, bcl; Yotam
Silberstein, g; Ronnell Bey, vcl;
Pereira, Ector, perc.
-3: Pereira, perc. 4/11, South
Orange, NJ.
New Issues
134 | CadenCe Magazine | april May June 2013
On this CD pianist Rou Assaf pays homage to a
number of great pianists who have influenced him
by playing their compositions. He covers most of the
usual suspects in Basie, Monk, Peterson, Tyner, Corea,
Hancock, and Jarrett, but he also makes time for a few
players one might not immediately think of such as
Walter Davis Jr., Kenny Barron and Danilo Perez.
Assaf's style is bright and forceful, mixing influences
but not completely aping any single one. He's playful
and sly on Basie's “Easy Does It” and does a nice gospel
shuffle with Monkian flourishes on Oscar Peterson's
“Road To Freedom”. Walter Davis' “Uranus” has a bluesy,
rolling edge and Monk's “Brake Sake” comes out with
more rhythmic smoothness than you normally hear
in a Monk piece but a breakneck energy out of McCoy
Tyner. Bassist Rueben Rogers and drummer Gregory
Hutchinson engage Assaf ina dialogue rather than
just give him support, something really felt in their
tumbling journey through Keith Jarrett's moody “Prism”
and the formal ballad structure of Kenny Barron's “Song
For Abdullah”.
There's more than the trio at work on a few tracks.
Chick Corea's classically-tinged “Eternal Child” and
Danilo Perez's “September In Rio” add extra percussion
while Herbie Hancock's “Textures” is ambient funk
played by an ensemble that includes brass and bass
clarinet and McCoy Tyner's “Fly With The Wind” recreates
the orchestral cyclone of Tyner's original with squalling
horns and percussion and Eric Alexander doing his
best Coltrane cries on top. Assaf closes this offering
with two of his own pieces, “Guardian Angels”, a slow
processional with Arabic flavors that reflect his Middle
Eastern heritage, and “Gozo”, a bright, prancing piece
with the rhythm section providing a funky Latin groove.
Assaf does a fine job here showing where he came from
and where he wants to go.
EASY DOES IT / BRAKE’S SAKE / HYMN TO FREEDOM /
URANUS / FLY WITH THE WIND - 1 / TEXTURES - 2 / ETERNAL
CHILD -3/ SONG FOR ABDULLAH / PRISM / SEPTEMBER IN
RIO -3 / GUARDIAN ANGELS / GOZO. 54:35.
Jerome Wilson