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Mario Pavone Sextet - Deez to Blues
I've listened to this most of the weekend and, like most of Pavone's recent releases, didn't immediately grab me like earlier stuff such as Toulon Days when he was still joined at the fingerboard to the Thomas Chapin tsunami and everything had such an immediate urgency to it. Even the more recent releases on Playscape have had the distinctive tenor sax of Tony Malaby; on this the only reedist is the multi-instrumentalist Howard Johnson. While his playing on baritone sax and bass clarinet is quite good, could any of you pick him out in a blindfold test? His tuba playing is another matter and adds a nice additional rhythmic bottom voice to Pavone's strong bass work; although it doesn't seem like this potential asset is fully used, either because of the nature of the song structures or trumpeter Steven Bernstein's arrangements. What *does* add an interesting additional voice is the presence of Charles Burnham on violin. Pianist Peter Madsen has been a constant on the recent Pavone discs and his contributions don't immediately jump out and grab you but, like the songs themselves, become more enjoyable with repeated listenings. Drummer Michael Sarin, whose association goes back to the Chapin days, is excellent as always.
As time goes on Pavone seems more and more indebted to Mingus; "Day of the Dark Bright Light" sounds like something cinema-noirish from Ah Um and "Second-Term Blues" sounds like a Chazz blues rouser complete with a bass solo beginning. The others have the quirky start/stop movements that Pavone seems to favor and it all results in a solid, if unspectacular offering.
Last edited by Captain Hate; April-30th-2006 at 11:28 PM.
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Linear Mode
