Search - Ray Drummond :: One Two Three Four

One Two Three Four
Ray Drummond
One Two Three Four
Genres: Jazz, Pop
 
  •  Track Listings (12) - Disc #1

This recording by veteran bassist Ray Drummond--who has worked with everyone from Art Farmer to Wynton Marsalis--is his eighth project as a leader and it features tenor-soprano saxophonist Craig Handy, the fleet-fingered p...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Ray Drummond
Title: One Two Three Four
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Arabesque Recordings
Original Release Date: 2/9/1999
Release Date: 2/9/1999
Album Type: Import
Genres: Jazz, Pop
Style: Bebop
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 026724014123

Synopsis

Amazon.com
This recording by veteran bassist Ray Drummond--who has worked with everyone from Art Farmer to Wynton Marsalis--is his eighth project as a leader and it features tenor-soprano saxophonist Craig Handy, the fleet-fingered pianist Stephen Scott, and the time-steady drummer Billy Hart. With Handy's Coltrane-Henderson saxisms, Scott's McCoy Tyner-toned piano, and Hart's articulate drum thunderstorms, Drummond shows that he is a no-nonsense accompanist who lays down deep, strong bass lines that articulate the groove and inspire his bandmates. But that doesn't mean he can't shine as a soloist. His textured solo on the traditional hymn "Goin' Home" highlights his unique tradition-in-transition style, which is also evident on his own modal composition "Driftin'." "Little Waltz" reveals Drummond's debt to the tune's composer, the legendary Ron Carter. John Coltrane's "Mr. P.C." and Wayne Shorter's Brazilian ballad "Ana Maria" are rendered with a moving and modern-sounding nod to the '60s style of improvisation for which Ray Drummond is so well known. --Eugene Holley Jr.
 

CD Reviews

Modern bass master's retrospective album up with the best
Ian Muldoon | Coffs Harbour, NSW Australia | 02/04/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)

"Recipe for musical excellence: judicious balance of two musicians steeped in the history of the music-Mr Hart and Mr Drummond- with two younger musicians establishing themselves as masters in their own right - Mr Scott and Mr Handy; add a variety of contexts - different meters, solo, duo, trio, and quartet; add a range of compositions, standards - Ann Ronnell's Willow Weep for Me, Traditional - Goin' Home (a brilliant highlight for Mr Handy's tenor reminding one of Mr Shepp's version),Originals eg - Oh Jay (which really cooks) by Mr Drummond, and you have it. Highlights for me include Ballad Poetique an impressive impressionistic tone poem in the form of a free improvisation; a stunning piano solo by Mr Scott on Driftin'; and Craig Handy's tenor on Oh Jay reminiscent of Mr Coltrane but his own sound. Naturally, the bass is mixed forward and given prominence but it is not obtrusive in terms of the other players - yet I found it a little "hard" cf the opening track Ana Maria by Wayne Shorter. In this regard, I prefer a "woodier" sound, just personal taste I guess. Yet on other tracks, say on the solo track Prelude to a Kiss, I didn't notice this "hardness'. The leader, Mr Drummond considers this a retrospective of his distinguished career which includes appearances on over 300 discs. It may be the bass in jazz has been given a new lease of life with the birth of the CD - no more tracking problems. Recording standards seem very high now and some wonderful music has been released by bassists, Haden, Peacock, Andy McKee (Sound Roots a must have), Ben Allison, Dave Holland, etc. Mr Drummond's album 1-2-3-4 is up there with them."