<strong>Jersey</strong>Reviews<strong>Jazz</strong>OTHER VIEWS continued from page 40him as effective as ever in putting asong across. He’s aided in his effortsby pianist/ arranger Phil Wright,guitarist Terry Evans, bassist RichardSimon and drummer Frank Wilson.Also present is <strong>the</strong> magnificent tenorsax of Houston Person, who alsoproduced <strong>the</strong> album. Much of <strong>the</strong>album is a tribute to three singerswho were friends and peers, BillyEckstine, Al Hibbler and Earl Coleman.Andrews is from <strong>the</strong> same school as<strong>the</strong>se three singers famous for <strong>the</strong>irdeep baritone voices, but he has alighter sound, and tends to play a bitmore with melodies. Whenever I haveheard Andrews, <strong>the</strong>re’s always a lot ofblues present in what he sings. Heinfuses <strong>the</strong> great ballad “This IsAlways” with that kind of feeling, andhe does this song as movingly as youwould want to hear it. Among <strong>the</strong>o<strong>the</strong>r 10 tracks are “She’s Got <strong>the</strong>Blues for Sale,” “It Shouldn’t Happento a Dream,” “I’ve Got to Pass YourHouse to Get to My House,” “River’sInvitation” and “Vacation From <strong>the</strong>Blues.” This is a strong outing from aterrific vocalist who deserves morerecognition than he has garnered over<strong>the</strong> 50-plus years that he has beenperforming. (www.jazzdepot.com)■ Like Ernie Andrews, vocalistED REED grew up in <strong>the</strong> Los Angelesarea. Unlike Andrews, however, his lifewas plagued by <strong>the</strong> horrors of heroinaddiction, a curse that plagued himfor about 40 years, a time duringwhich he drifted in and out ofincarceration at <strong>hot</strong>els like SanQuentin and Alcatraz. Finally, in 1986,and in his late 50s, Reed was able tokick his dreadful habit. All through hislife, he did keep involved in music asmuch as he could, singing in jazzgroups in prison, and hitting <strong>the</strong> openmics when on <strong>the</strong> outside. Nowresiding in <strong>the</strong> San Francisco area,Reed was able to carve out a careerin “program planning anddevelopment, training, and creating asuccessful lecture series on ‘The Artand Practice of Living Well.’” At <strong>the</strong>age of 78, encouraged by those whoheard him perform, he has releasedhis first vocal album, Ed Reed SingsLove Stories (Ed Reed – 001), andit is a spectacular debut recording.This is a man who really knows howto sing. Reed has a nice timbre to hisbaritone, at times reminiscent of JonHendricks and Eddie Jefferson, butsmoo<strong>the</strong>r sounding. He has finesupport from Peck Almond on moreinstruments than I have room to mention,Gary Fisher on piano, John Witalaon bass and Eddie Marshall on drums.The 11-song program is replete withfine songs well sung. My particularfavorites are “Ghost of a Chance,” “AFlower Is a Lovesome Thing” and “If<strong>the</strong> Moon Turns Green,” but, given <strong>the</strong>consistently high quality of <strong>the</strong>performances, on ano<strong>the</strong>r day I mightpick o<strong>the</strong>rs. Let us hear more from Mr.Ed Reed! (www.edreedsings.com)■ MONDAY OFF, a truly hip vocalquartet comprised of Amy Cervini,Raymond Sage, Hilary Gardner andRichard Roland, have been active in<strong>New</strong> York City since 2000. MondayOff (Orange Grove <strong>Jazz</strong>) is <strong>the</strong> firstnon-Christmas disc from <strong>the</strong> group.They have a fresh sound that callsupon influences from earlier groupslike <strong>the</strong> Four Freshmen, <strong>the</strong> Hi-Lo’sand Manhattan Transfer. Each of <strong>the</strong>singers, all of whom have a backgroundin musical <strong>the</strong>ater as well asjazz, has a strong voice. Theirharmonies lie easily on <strong>the</strong> ear. Theyare particularly fond of <strong>the</strong> sound of<strong>the</strong> Basie band, having included “Li’lDarlin’,” “Cute” and “Whirly Bird” in <strong>the</strong>program. Many groups come alongwith similar influences, but seem tofade as quickly as <strong>the</strong>y arrive. MondayOff has had staying power, oftengigging around <strong>the</strong> Big Apple, and thisalbum gives ample recorded evidenceof why this is so. They swing, <strong>the</strong>yknow how to write effective arrangements,and <strong>the</strong>ir execution is flawless.Their name derives from <strong>the</strong>ir <strong>the</strong>aterexperience where on Monday nightsmost <strong>the</strong>aters are dark, and it is atime when performers have a night to enjoy o<strong>the</strong>r opportunities. If <strong>the</strong>ykeep producing sounds like thoseon <strong>the</strong>ir new album, <strong>the</strong>y shouldhave fewer and fewer nights <strong>off</strong>.(www.monday<strong>off</strong>.org)These albums are not availablethrough NJJS.You should be able toobtain most of <strong>the</strong>m at any majorrecord store. They are also availableon-line from <strong>the</strong> websites shownafter each review, or from a varietyof o<strong>the</strong>r on-line sources. JJP.O. Box 995 • Easton, PA 18044-0995PresentsGALVANIZEDJAZZ BANDTraditional & Dixieland <strong>Jazz</strong> MusicSunday, April 15, 20072:00 PM to 5:00 PMEaston Moose Lodge, Easton PAPJS MEMBERS $18OTHERS $ 20 STUDENTS $5Food and~Drink AvailableFor tickets send SASE to:PENNSYLVANIA JAZZ SOCIETYPO BOX 995 EASTON, PA 18044Info: 610-740-9698May 6: Midiri Bro<strong>the</strong>rs Sextet2:00 PM – 6:00 PM42April 2007 <strong>Jersey</strong><strong>Jazz</strong>
April 2007 <strong>Jersey</strong><strong>Jazz</strong> 43