Dred Scott

The Pacific Jazz Group

Ropeadope

Pianist Dred Scott just took a gigantic left turn, but we shouldn’t be at all surprised given the vast ground the maverick pianist has covered with 11 albums as a leader, over 50 as a sideman, and performances with Anthony Braxton, Cecil McBee, Andrew Cyrille, Joe Morello, Charlie Hunter, Bob Mintzer, Dave Samuels, Don Byron, Paul McCandless, Marshal Crenshaw, to name a few. Generally associated with trio or solo settings, Scott has formed a conventional, club-like jazz quartet, dubbed the Pacific Jazz Group with an album of the same name derived from the Pacific Jazz record label. The label began as World Pacific Records with a shelf life from 1952 through the ‘60s. You’ve likely heard the term “West coast jazz,” thought of as cooler and more laid back than the bebop and hard bop emanating from NYC during that period.  Here are some recognizable names that appeared on the label – Shelly Manne, Gerry Mulligan, Shorty Rogers, Russ Freeman, Chet Baker, Hampton Hawes, Paul Desmond, Jim Hall, Victor Feldman, and Cal Tjader, among others. Scott doesn’t consider the music difficult to play and although the label was based in L.A. it was the soundtrack for his time in Oakland and San Francisco, evoking rich imagery of California’s coastal beauty, its gigantic redwoods, and special settings.

Scott recruited a veteran lineup where most of three musicians have worked with some of the aforementioned west coasters as well as legacy and contemporary jazz artists. (We’ve already laid out enough names here so there is no need to make your eyes glaze over.) The quartet members are tenor saxophonist and composer Eric Crystal, bassist John Wiitala, and drummer/vibraphonist/saxophonist Smith Dobson V.  Four of the seven are Gerry Mulligan compositions with the other three sourced from Bernie Miller, Russ Freeman, and Shorty Rogers.

Opening with “Bernie’s Tune,” Scott and the rhythm section establish a swinging tempo, a rushing, breaking wave that Crystal rides atop, surfing with ease. Smith Dobson sets the Latin rhythm for Russ Freeman’s “Maid in Mexico,” another playful, number for the band with Scott leading the charge on his dynamic piano playing perfectly suited to that imaginary cantina somewhere that inspires Crystal who blows with more fervor on his second entrance. “Line for Lyons” is the first on the Mulligan tunes, where Scott runs up and down the scales with another deft rhythmic touch to Wiitala’s sturdy walking bass line. Crystal delivers a melodic undulating low register turn as Scott comps and the rhythm tandem holds their “in the pocket groove,” freeing Wiitala and Dobson for solos as well. The flamenco flavored “Casa De Luz” from Shorty Rogers features some of Scott’s most animated piano in the set as it’s essentially a piano trio in the first half before Crystal bursts in with his customary energy. This one might come the closest to contradicting Scott’s quote – “The music itself was usually not difficult or intricate and the playing was more about sounding cool than blowing minds with awesome virtuosity.”

This writer’s first reaction to Mulligan’s “Festive Minor” was its resemblance to Monk and not just because Monk has a title “Off Minor.” It’s the angular nature of the piece itself. Sure enough, Mulligan and Monk did record together on Mulligan Meets Monk (Riverside 1957) but this was not one of the tracks on the album. This track also has arguably Crystal’s brightest playing of any track.  Mulligan’s “Nights at the Turntable” does follow along the lines of the quote in the previous paragraph – melodic and not especially intricate while the same writer’s closing “Utter Chaos” could be more aptly titled “Controlled Chaos” as it is fairly smooth. Nonetheless, Scott retrieved an important sound from past jazz not often heard these days. The joy of playing these tunes just oozes through the set as we can envision the quartet smiling and having a hoot.

• Jim Hynes

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