Search - Jay Leonhart :: Cool

Piano + Bass + Guitar = "Cool"

Stephen A. Smith | Boston, MA | 05/10/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I want to like Jay Leonhart a bit more than I do. He's got impeccable taste in musicians and material. And when he keeps quiet, he's a first-rate bassist. Unfortunately, he has a habit of scatting along with his bass lines.



My first Leonhart album was "Four Duke," about ten years ago. I'd never heard the guy, but the album was an Ellington program recorded by a quartet that included Joe Beck and Gary Burton. It seemed a sure bet -- and indeed, the playing was top-notch. But the disc opened with a bass solo on "In a Mellow Tone"; and he must have been miked, because his voice was nearly as loud as the bass. I've been told some folks find this charming. I find it unprofessional at best; at worst (and often), the result is a sloppy unison with poor intonation and muddy rhythm. Keith Jarrett notwithstanding, instrumentalists should save ear training exercises for their practice sessions.



Having said all that, I'll add that it really bugs me -- yet I keep buying his albums, and I've rated this record four stars. I'm a fan. Annoying habits aside, Leonhart truly is a first-rate bassist. He's joined here by one of my favorite pianists, Ted Rosenthal, and guitarist Joe Cohn, who arranged three of his father's tunes for this session.



Leonhart and Cohn recorded a Ray Brown tribute together in 2003, with Benny Green in the piano chair. Now, I think Green's "These Are Soulful Days" is the best piano/bass/guitar record I've heard. But I'm glad Rosenthal replaced him here. Rosenthal ranks alongside Eric Reed and the late Kenny Kirkland as contemporary pianists who absorbed all angles of jazz history and became original voices. The best evidence here is his arrangement of "If I Only Had a Brain," which displays the kind of humor rarely heard in jazz today. (For further listening, I highly recommend Rosenthal's duet CD with Bob Brookmeyer, "One Night in Vermont.")



Every tune on "Cool" is carefully arranged. This isn't a blowing session. These guys cut an album. The longest track is "Jitterbug Waltz," at 7:43. The solos never meander, and there's nary a dull moment. Ditto for the arrangements, with one caveat: Leonhart's chart on "C Jam Blues" is clever, but it's the third time he's recorded it (first in 1994, again in 2003) and it's time to move on. For the record, I think the New York Trio's version is best. In fact, I think Leonhart's best work has been with that trio (Bill Charlap and Bill Stewart). Check them out. Venus Records is a Japanese label, but the music's worth the import price.



This is the second strong release I've heard from Sons of Sound, after Mike Holober's big band record. I know I'm not the only one bugged by instrumentalists who sing along with their lines, so I think Leonhart's quirk deserves mention (and shame on negligent critics who don't). But if it doesn't bother you, or if you can hear past it, you'll dig this record."