SEAN HONG WEI & JEREMY MONTEIRO

THE NEW JERSEY SESSIONS

Jazz Note

Sean Hong Wei, tenor saxophone; Jeremy Monteiro, piano; Jay Anderson, bass; Evan Sherman, drums; Houston Person, tenor saxophone; Alex Sipiagin, trumpet.

This hard-bop group opens with the Charlie Parker tune, “Dewey Square” showing that they love to ‘swing’ with as much power and notoriety as the great Babe Ruth. Sean Hong Wei stands proudly in the spotlight on his tenor saxophone and seduces the listener. Next, bassist Jay Anderson steps forward to take a double bass solo, followed by Evan Sherman on drums.  Alex Sipiagin, playing trumpet, takes a sweet, inspired solo.  He has a beautiful tone that continues to take the lead on the popular jazz tune “A Weaver of Dreams.”

This album makes me feel like I’m in a jazz club, sitting upfront, stage center, to enjoy an evening of great ‘live’ music.  Twenty-five-year-old Sean Hong Wei has a tone and style that winds the clock back to the days of Lester Young.  He sounds a lot like ‘the Prez.’  Accompanied by the founder and executive director of the Jazz Association Singapore (JASSO) on piano, Jeremy Monteiro says his organization is dedicated to jazz education and promoting Singapore jazz globally through scholarships and other support activities. They gifted Hong with one of their scholarships. On “The New Jersey Sessions” Monteiro shares top billing with this young, talented saxophonist.

Hong began playing the saxophone when he was thirteen and met Monteiro when he turned eighteen.  Monteiro’s organization supported the talented reed player and so did The New School in New York City.  On the tune “Nothing Ever Changes My Love for You” I hear a lot of influence from the Dexter Gordon style when Hong plays his saxophone. I also here Gordon’s influence when the sax man plays “When Sunny Gets Blue.”

“Dexter Gordon was an important influence for Sean, but he has been listening to a lot of John Coltrane lately.  I could hear his approach to improvisation changing.  While I was in New York, I wanted to capture on record this inflection point to his musical growth,” mentor Monteiro wrote in their press package.

Joined by some stalwarts of jazz on the NYC music scene, one being Jay Anderson who offers an emotional bass solo on “When Sunny Gets Blue.” Special guest, Houston Person joins the group with his bluesy, sexy tenor saxophone style.

Evan Sherman is featured on drums during the group’s presentation of “Out of Nowhere.”  Hong establishes himself with his own take on this jazz standard, leaving an indelible mark all his own during their arrangement. I love the tenor horn of Houston Person joining the tenor saxophone of Hong, creating warm harmony on their bluesy arrangement of “Bags Groove.”  It had to be a great honor and inspiration for Sean Hong Wei to stand next to the iconic Houston Person in the studio and lay down his saxophone improvisation. They both sound amazing!

This is a great album that bridges the decades between the 1940s and today, playing familiar tunes we love, while introducing us to a fledgling talent who is destined to breach bigger and brighter horizons.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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