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John Donegan - The Irish Sextet: Shadows Linger
ByThese ten Donegan originals are grounded firmly in the bebop and hard bop traditions, so much so that several of the tunesnotably the hard-boppish "Raffy's Blues" and the handsome ballad "I Will tell You Once More (That I Love You)"seem to have the feel of familiar classics. Donegan's slightly ragged yet joyfully flowing Bud Powell-inspired lines also hint at an older school language of early blues and stride pianists; think Cannonball Adderley's '60s combos at their rampant and soulful best, spiced with a healthy dose of nascent bebop, and you may begin to get the picture.
Beginning with the lively and exceptionally catchy "Shake it Up," the compositions follow a head-solos-head course, though the emotion and panache in the sextet's playing means that, despite the formula, the music never flags, even on slower fare such as the brushes-steered title track or the lovely, Thelonious Monk-esque ballad "Kit's Way." The front line is in outstanding form throughout, trading solo after top drawer solo, which makes picking out highlights somewhat superfluous. Donegan too, is in exuberant form, revelling in a number of tumbling solos, with shades of Wynton Kelly infusing his bluesiest forays.
Several tracks carry a Latin feel, particularly in Daly and Bodwell's tango-esque rhythms on "Sole Shuffle"where the bassist basks briefly in the spotlight with a typically understated yet lyrical soloand on "SNS (Saturday Night Samba)" with its jaunty, feel-good vibe. Daly, a key figure in the Limerick jazz scene for forty years, steals protagonism with a couple of meaty solos of his own but, for the most part, drives the music with tasteful gusto, in conjunction with the ever-sympathetic Bodwell.
Donegan and his sextet members do not set out to reinvent the wheel with Shadows Linger, which is just as well, because in sticking to what they know and love, they have delivered a memorable straight ahead album of vintage calibre.
Track Listing
Shake It Up; Shadows Linger; Raffy’s Blues; Sole Shuffle; Got a Spring in my Step; Kit’s Way; SNS (Saturday Night Samba); Jump In Quick; I Will Tell You Once More (That I Love You); Once There’s Love.
Personnel
John Donegan
pianoMichael Buckley
saxophoneRichie Buckley
saxophoneLinley Hamilton
trumpetJohn Daly
drumsDan Bodwell
bass, acousticAdditional Instrumentation
Michael Buckley: alto and soprano saxophone; Richie Buckley: tenor and soprano saxophone; Linley Hamilton: trumpet and flugelhorn.
Album information
Title: Shadows Linger | Year Released: 2022 | Record Label: Jayde Records
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