ALBARE

ECLECTICITY

Independent label

Albare, guitar/guitar synthesizer; Phil Turcio, piano; Phil Noy, tenor saxophone; Salva Persico, percussion; Phil Rex, bass; Mat Jodrell, trumpet/flugelhorn; Felix Bloxsom, drums. SPECIAL GUESTS: Paul Williamson, tenor saxophone; Jake Mason, Hammond B3 organ.

Guitarist, composer and producer, Albare, has a legacy of four decades in the music business. He’s a regular fixture on the top twenty USA Jazz Charts.  His global impact is undeniable.  Albare has been nominated for both an ARIA and a Latin Grammy Award.  This latest album is straight ahead jazz at its best, created by some of the top jazz players in Melbourne, Australia.

The longtime musical companion of Albare is Phil Turcio on piano. Albare’s composition “Song for Bird,” immediately grabs my attention. It conjures up shades of the Coltrane jazz years.  It’s a slow swing with a beautiful melody that allows Phil Noy on tenor saxophone to explore the chord changes freely during his soothing solo.  Mat Jodrell, a graduate of the Julliard School of Music, is impressive on trumpet.

“Long Haul” is a tune where the arrangement reminds me of the Miles Davis standard “So What.”  However, the melody stands alone and is interpreted unapologetically by Albare’s guitar excellence.

This group calls themselves The Jazz Alchemists. They have a cohesive, post-bebop sound, mixed with warm Latin jazz arrangements.  For example, on the song called “Morning Dance” Felix Bloxsom lays down a strong drum groove that waves Latin rhythms like a dancing flag in the wind. He is joined by Salva Persico on percussion. It makes me want to put on my cha-cha shoes and get busy.

Albare has led two ensembles in the past two years.  One is The Harmonix Experience that features two of his guests who play on this album, Jake Mason on Hammond organ and Paul Williamson on tenor sax. The other group is this one, The Jazz Alchemists. A gifted guitarist, Abare has sixteen albums released as a bandleader. He continues to perform worldwide and release music that inspires and entertains.

Should you happen to find yourself in Melbourne, this group performs regularly at the iconic ‘Bird’s Basement.’ But if you don’t travel, no worries!  This album will whisk you away to the heart and soul of Albares’s awesome original compositions and The Jazz Alchemists will thoroughly entertain you.  Every song on this album is well-played and expertly written.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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