ONE FOR ALL featuring GEORGE COLEMAN

BIG GEORGE

Smoke Sessions Records

Jim Rotondi, trumpet/composer; Eric Alexander, alto & tenor saxophone/composer; Steve Davis, trombone/composer; David Hazeltine, piano/Fender Rhodes/composer; John Webber, bass; Joe Farnsworth, drums. SPECIAL GUEST: George Coleman, tenor saxophone.

Since their inception, in 1997, I have been a big fan of “One For All” with their very hip, very smooth, very brilliant bebop sound.  Each of these musical members carries a wealth of history and awards on their shoulders. Each is a participant of “One For All.” They are educators, session players, composers, and busy, working musicians. So, you can imagine, with everybody’s schedule, that makes getting together for an album a huge challenge.  It’s been seven years between this album and their former release, “The Third Decade.”

This time, an added bonus is the guest appearance of reed master, George Coleman.  He comes walking into the spotlight on track #4, during a tune written by Jim Rotondi called “Oscar Winner.”  His appearance jolts the energy upward fifty percent, and the guys were already smokin’ hot!

On “Oscar Winner,” after George Coleman solos, Steve Davis brings his trombone to the party and settles in to woo us with his smooth trombone sound. Then the horns begin to harmonize in a chant-like harmony and the tension builds.  The tune explodes with a number of solo’s that are both innovative and fresh, like hot bread out the oven This project is butter!  They represent the jazz I love. Delicious straight-ahead jazz.  Eight minutes of pure joy! When they step back from this swinging arrangement and feature George Coleman on their absolutely beautiful rendition of “My Foolish Heart” these musicians spray my listening room with love tones and improvisations that paint an old standard in new and unexpected ways. They continue the love with their take on Hank Mobley’s composition, “This I Dig of You” (once again featuring George Coleman).

At the respectable age of 87, George Coleman hasn’t lost his adventurist spirit or iconic talent.  He is still a force to be reckoned with.  Hazeltine’s piano solo rises to the occasion after Coleman sets the studio on fire.  Joe Farnsworth slaps his drumsticks into a power-packed solo excursion, while the horns dance, shiny as fireflies glowing in a powerful creative light.  John Webber gets the last word on bass, like an exclamation mark.  Then Webber marches into the next tune, swinging strongly on the Steve Davis original, “Cove Island Breeze” with his bass walking briskly, and arms tightly linked with the Farnsworth drummer.

“Our favorite quickly became Cove Island because it’s a very beautiful piece so close to home.  The tune has that same kind of wistful, breezy swing,” Davis shard in the liner notes.

One of this writer’s favorite jazz standards is the sensuous ballad, “The Nearness of You.”  All For One plays it like a sincere and honest love letter. The Davis trombone sings it smoothly, while Jim Rotondi brings his big, bright trumpet sound into the picture with gusto. Eric Alexander pulls the blues into the arrangement on his saxophone, flying into the solo space like a wild bird, singing “Heaven please save, all mankind” briefly, a love whisper in my ear.  I had to play this track twice.

The unique thing about this recording is that the musicians all walked into the studio and played a lot of these original compositions without a rehearsal of any kind.  They flew by the seat of their souls, so to speak.  The result is some fresh and innovative improvisation on tunes like the opening composition by Eric Alexander, “Chainsaw” (that plays like a jazz standard), with the commanding drums of Joe Farnsworth pushing the group ahead forcefully.  Alexander’s improvising soars above the busy bass of John Webber.

David Hazeltine’s tune, “In the Lead” showcases the pianist but also brightly spotlights Rotondi’s potent trumpet. Davis’s trombone, and the smart harmonics the three horns create highlight a smart arrangement.

You must be a master to walk into a studio, pick up the music charts, and in the midst of a room full of legends, deliver!  Now I have the ONE FOR ALL group with me in my listening room.  Their music is absolutely thrilling, swinging, and all-encompassing!  This is an historic and well-produced album to add to your collection

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