“We Used to Dance”

“We Used to Dance”
Jazz quartet CD and iTunes tracks
by Joel Frahm
http://joelfrahm.com

Joel Frahm: tenor sax
Kenny Barron: piano
Rufus Reid: bass
Victor Lewis: drums

Anzic Records for orders and samples
anzicstore.com/jofrweustoda.html
Item #616892889427
$16.98

10 individual tracks available for 99 cents each from iTunes Store

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Joel Frahm is the best contemporary melodic jazz saxophone player you’ve never heard. His ten lyrical selections on “We Used to Dance” include six of Frahm’s compositions. One notable exception, “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most,” is a jazz vocal standard with an unusual melody line and internal structure. It’s the tune that brought me to Frahm, and I keep coming back to his evocative rendition.

If you’ve never heard of session leader Joel Frahm, the names and reputations of his colleagues may be familiar. If that established trio is also unfamiliar, they’ll soon become your pals after a couple of listenings to “We Used to Dance.” Each member’s playing is stellar, with sensitive respect for one another during both combo and solo segments.

Are you intimidated by jazz or reluctant to give it a try? The iTunes Store for Mac and Windows allows you to preview each of the ten songs on this CD. Joel Frahm won’t mind if you decide to invest in two or three. These are not toe-tapping melodies that will keep you awake at night. The songs fit together into a subtle woven basket of virtuoso musical expression.

I hesitate to say this is “minimalist post-modern” jazz, or “cocktail” music, or “easy listening.” Most of the jazz I listen to day and night is more hard-hitting, from the bop and modern eras. “We Used to Dance” is accessible music that opens doors for jazz newbies and jaded veterans.

The recording is very high quality. It’s a live studio session set, where the quartet plays intently without any digital enhancements or whizbang trickery added afterward. Each musician can be heard clearly at all times.

Sax, piano, and drums are most prominent. Bass is a little in the background, and can be boosted in your playback environment. This is a good thing, because BOOOOOOMING BASS really gets on your nerves when it overpowers rather than supports the other instruments.

“We Used to Dance” contains a hearty mix of musical styles and rhythms that all knead together into a cohesive blend. Ballads, blues, bossa, bop, and more! Mix and match, shuffle the tracks, take your pick — every song stands tall by itself and in relation to its neighbors. You can read more about the musicians and songs at this URL: http://anzicstore.com/jofrweustoda.html, complete with extended audio clips and download options.

I received an evaluation CD from Anzic Records months ago, and it’s been on my home CD player ever since. I take naps to “We Used to Dance,” my family dines to it, I exercise to it, I read with it playing, and it never becomes stale. That’s enough of a tribute from this musician, jazz fan, and admirer of Joel Frahm and his quality quartet.