Though not much remembered now but by musicians and aficionados, Tadd Dameron (1917 – 1965) was one of the most influential composers, arrangers and pianists of the era that bridged big band swing and bebop, the 1940s and ’50s. American baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan’s project Tadd’s All, Folks brings a batch of Dameron’s lesser known compositions into the light, assisted by a top-notch combo of pianist Pete Malinferni, bassist David Wong and drummer Matt Wilson, and a new voice sure to make waves in the future, singer Anaïs Reno.
Reno, who was 18 when these songs were recorded in 2021, was a student at New York’s Purchase College, where both Smulyan and Malinverni are on the jazz program staff. She does a fine job on these songs regardless of her age. Among my favorite vocal moments on Tadd’s All are her a capella introduction to the gorgeous ballad “Take A Chance On Spring,” and her easy leaps up and down the scale on the swinging “You’re A Joy,” my favorite lyric on the album, by Bernie Hanighen, best known for the lyric to Thelonious Monk’s ” ‘Round Midnight.” Another superb Hanighen lyric (and vocal performance by Reno) is the opener, “Whatever Possessed Me.” Also of note is the first recording ever of “This Night Of Stars,” with lyric by Carl Sigman.
Smulyan and his baritone sax are what originally drew me to this project, and they don’t disappoint, with subtly superb solos on just about every song. His turn on “My Dream” is dreamy and poetic, while he and the rhythm section turn in a hard bop improvisation once “Take A Chance On Spring” kicks into gear. And both Smulyan and Malinverni cook on the closer “Never Been In Love.” Whether you like your jazz with romantic lyrics or solid solos or tight combo interplay, Tadd’s All Folks is a good bet.
Growing up in the ’60s and ’70s in a home (and car) where the radio was always on, the songs of Burt Bacharach formed a not insignificant part of the soundtrack of my life. You probably know a lot of them, too, from classic singles by some of the top pop singers of the era: “Make It Easy On Yourself,” “Walk On By,” “Do You Know The Way To San Jose” and numerous others sung by Dionne Warwick, “(They Long To Be) Close To You” (The Carpenters), “The Look Of Love” (Dusty Springfield), “This 
Guy’s In Love” (Herb Alpert), “What’s New, Pussycat” (Tom Jones), “What The World Needs Now Is Love” (Jackie DeShannon), “Trains And Boats And Planes” (Billy J. Kramer and Dionne Warwick again, though I first heard it from The Box Tops), and “Alfie” (Cilla Black in the UK and Warwick in the US) … to name just a few off the top of my head.
Great songs are always available for new interpretations, so why not give these pop gems a jazz treatment where the melodies and lyrics can shine in a simple acoustic setting? Why not indeed?
Stina Ágústsdóttir, an Icelandic singer who’s one of the top jazz vocalists in Scandinavia, fronts the Stockholm-based quartet they call Alfie!, after that well known Bacharach song. With a repertoire that consists solely of these timeless Bacharach melodies (and lyrics for the most part by Hal David), they’ve captivated Stockholm audiences and now have releaed a debut album.
Stina’s supple soprano is out front of a solid trio of players: Frederik Olsson on guitar, Mats Dimming on double bass, and Jojo Djeridi on drums, with solid, no nonsense arrangements of these classics. Opening with “The Look Of Love,” the song that sparked the combo from the beginning, this album is not just a tour down memory lane, but a fresh demonstration of the durability and even coolness of this music. Olsson’s lush guitar accentuates the sense of mystery and anticipation of a new affair in “The Look Of Love.” The simple arrangements throughout are likewise revelatory, and work together with Stina’s emotive vocals, whether emphasizing sorrow as in “A House Is Not A Home,” fresh love in “Close To You,” resilience in the face of the blues on the swinging bop of “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head,” or putting on a brave face in “Do You Know The Way To San Jose.” It’s a joy to hear these timeless tunes in this intimate setting, shorn of the radio-friendly pop trappings of the originals.
(Steeplechase, 2025)
(Overseas, 2024)
