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Dave Bayles Trio: Live at the Uptowner
ByThe concert, which lasts well over an hour, consists of five original compositions by Schaub, three by Johnson and one ("Shuffle Boil") by Thelonious Monk. For the most part, the songs are pretty good (the word "serviceable" springs to mind) but better suited to a concert setting than a framework in which repeated listening is possible. It would have been helpful if a standard or two were thrown into the mix.
As that did not happen, what we have is a reasonably talented trio playing reasonably acceptable music that is congenial but on the whole less than exceptional. Perhaps seeing as well as hearing made a difference, as the audience salutes each number with enthusiastic applause. What this says perhaps more than anything is that the trio plays well, at least well enough to engage and please an audience, which certainly seems to be the case.
As for the tunes, they serve more as springboards for improvisation than as special or persuasive works. Johnson's ad libs are reliable if less than unique, Schaub keeps adequate time and solos capably when called upon, while Bayles acquits himself well in spite of a tendency to overplay that is more suitable to a concert arena than, say, a recording studio.
In sum, a respectable concert session that one senses may have been better had the trio chosen more enticing material. A follow-up recording of standards could perhaps help prove the point.
Track Listing
Fitzroy; Third Birthday (this many); Sundogs; The Illusionist's Sister; Shuffle Boil; Comanche; Quirks; Waking Hour; Horizontal Heartburn.
Personnel
Album information
Title: Live at the Uptowner | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Calligram Records
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Dave Bayles
Album Review
Jack Bowers
Live at the Uptowner
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Russ Johnson
Clay Schaub
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Thelonious Monk