This CD is a follow-up to Last Call at Cafe Alto which featured alto saxophonist
Turner and the jazz compositions of Richard Karmel and Steve Rosenbloom. Flügelhorn master
Basso joins
Turner, and they make about as engaging a front line as you'll find in mainstream jazz.
Turner's highly technical abilities mesh with a fluid, singsong, lyrical approach, while
Basso is about the warmest brass player in Canada, maybe anywhere. The rhythm section comprises the wonderful guitarist Roddy Ellias, bassist
Fraser Hollins, and drummer Claude Lavergne. On this 11-tune program, ballads and slower tunes are predominant and peppered throughout. In most cases, as the title track and
Alan Broadbent's waltz "The Long Goodbye,"
Turner and
Basso play separately, taking turns. They do play together at the intro and outro of "Lou's Lament," and leave plenty of space for Ellias' emotion-laden guitar to patiently weave spells. Another "Waltz for A.B." dedicated to
Broadbent continues the
Haunted Heart/
Quartet West thematic similarities. Some of the dedicatory pieces are so subtle; "In Walked Monk" is based on an inspiration from
Thelonious Monk's "In Walked Bud," and sounds so simplistic it is closer to a
Count Basie riff. "Count Me In" is a more complex calypso. "African Heat," inspired by
Dizzy Gillespie's "A Night in Tunisia," is a light samba with some nice unison lines. "Spunky," with references to
Cannonball Adderley and
Art Blakey, comes out swinging in midtempo fashion with a dramatic melody, and another fine guitar solo by Ellias.
Basso plays harmonica on the ballad "To Gerry" as beautifully as
Toots Thielemans might, while the closer, Latin burner "In Search of Senor Charles," and the bossa "O Feitico Dela" harness the most energy, and create the most memorable tension-and-release aspects of the session, again Ellias shining in the middle of the action. It's clear that the playing is stronger than the compositions, solely due to the competence of
Turner,
Basso, and Ellias. In a club setting you can bet they're dynamite, but on CD, they're more restrained, and that'll be fine for cool school heads and those who like their jazz with wisps of steam. ~ Michael G. Nastos