Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Pete Magadini: Bones Blues

6

Pete Magadini: Bones Blues

By

Sign in to view read count
Pete Magadini: Bones Blues
The Canadian label Sackville is known for its unique catalogue of superb Avant-Garde music and engaging trad-jazz recordings. So its 1976 Bones Blues is a bit of an anomaly as it documents a modern mainstream session that drummer Pete Magadini led and featured California based saxophonist Don Menza.

Five standards and two originals comprise the delightful and lively program that is, nevertheless, safely bop-based. Menza penned the soulful title track that has a loose and infectious swing to it. Menza's fiery, acerbic blustering tenor lines contrast and complement, Toronto native, pianist Wray Downes' cool, unhurried cascade of complex phrases. Fellow Torontonian, bassist Dave Young takes a brief but virtuosic fast paced solo while Magadini trades bars with Menza with elegance and reserved dynamism leading to the energetic conclusion.

Young's own intriguing composition "What a Time We Had" has a folky flavor and a deceptive simplicity. Downes opens with emotive vamps ushering in Young's own mellifluous performance. Menza matches Young's lyricism with his lilting graceful improvisation. Menza and Young take a couple of turns in the spotlight and as the piece progresses it becomes more intricately embellished, poetic and evocative.

Menza showcases his breezy expansive tone on "Old Devil Moon." His saxophone glides effortlessly and weaves an elaborate and melodic extemporization with sophistication and passion. The rhythm section adds an exuberant flair with Downes' percussive, bluesy keys, Young's lithe, bowed bass and Magadini's thunderous drums.

Two takes of trumpeter Miles Davis' "Freddie Freeloader" demonstrate the band's versatility as they interpret each version distinctly without altering the tune's essence. The quartet demonstrates a suave swagger on both renditions while playing and embellishing the theme with crisp, effervescence on one and heady, flowing tones on the other.

This charming and curious record sheds light on four woefully underexposed and supremely talented musicians. True, there is nothing adventurous or unusually provocative about the disc but it offers a rare glimpse of these artists,' particularly Don Menza's, unique style. This Delmark reissue rescues yet another compelling album from obscurity.

Track Listing

Old Devil Moon; Freddie Freeloader; Poor Butterfly; Solar; I Remember Clifford; What a Time We Had; Bones Blues; Freddie Freeloader, No. 2.

Personnel

Don Menza: tenor saxophone; Wray Downes: piano; Dave Young: bass; Pete Magadini: drums.

Album information

Title: Bones Blues | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: Delmark Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris
Candid
Sunny Five
Inside Colours Live
Julie Sassoon

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.