BARRY GREENE

GIANTS

Origin Records

Barry Greene, guitar; Ulysses Owens Jr., drums; David Kikoski, piano; Steve Nelson, vibraphone; Marco Panascia, bass; Pat Bianchi, B3 organ.

When I saw the list of musicians who joined Barry Greene in this project called “Giants,” I knew I was going to love this album before I even heard it.  All of these talented people are stand-alone artists with their own projects.  What a magnificent group of ‘cats’ to celebrate some of the “Giants” in music who have inspire guitarist and composer, Barry Greene.

Pat Bianchi opens the Lonnie Smith tune called “Backtrack” with the organ setting up the tempo and rhythm within the first several bars of this song. Tentatively, Barry Greene adds his guitar to the mix, gently pulling the arrangement curtain back to expose the catchy melody.  Marco Panascia adds his bass voice and the sound becomes rich and full, locked in with Ulysses Owens Jr. adding his drum pops, keeping the time solid, like a human metronome. Pat Bianchi continues to add his B3 organ to the mix, lending tasty filler lines and supporting Greene’s dynamic improvised solo. Then, he offers his own solo organ excursion atop the bluesy chord changes.

This album is a powerful tribute to some of the players who have shaped Greene into the extraordinary musician he has become. Folks like Pat Martino, Grant Green, Wes Montgomery and Russell Malone paved the path ahead for Barry Greene. He’s happy to acknowledge them in his press package. This album captures the exciting time of jazz guitar merging with jazz organ. I remember sitting many-a-night in Jimmy Smith’s Jazz Club, a Southern California hang-out, and loving every moment of the music. Pat Bianchi & Barry Greene bring back that warm memory.

David Kikoski is always so sensitive and dynamic on piano. This recording is no exception. As Greene improvises wildly over the solid rhythm section, racing straight-ahead on the familiar Sam Jones tune, “Unit 7,” Kikoski fills in the empty places with 88-key sensitivity.  Barry Greene’s guitar takes off into space, like a jazz astronaut. This quintet swings hard and non-stop. Dave Kikoski’s piano solo is more than a notion or an experiment.  It’s a statement.  He came to snatch our ears and immediately took me prisoner with his brilliant talent and creativity.

You will hear and enjoy a repertoire that includes tunes by Pat Metheny, Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, Russell Malone and Pat Martino. Each presentation gives us a closer look into the talent and mind of Barry Greene.  Green is both a working guitarist and a professor of Jazz Guitar at the University of North Florida, since 1995.  As a music educator, Greene has published books and video lessons that have inspired and impacted other jazz guitarists near and wide.

On Wes Montgomery’s “SOS” composition, Barry Green shows off his speed and excellence during their bebop production. Steve Nelson is golden on vibraphone, adding spark and spice to this arrangement. When Ulysses Owens Jr. trades fours with the band, he shows off his drum skills. This is followed by the Guy Woods familiar standard jazz tune, “My One and Only Love.”  It’s a tender ballad, with just Greene playing solo on his guitar and plucking at my heartstrings.

A tune called “Mugshot” by Russell Malone leans towards contemporary and fusion jazz in a very joyful way.  Greene’s fingers fly across the strings like a hummingbird. The bass line is particularly catchy and dances on its own beneath the fun fray propelled by Marco Panascia’s talented fingers. The timing of the bass against the rhythm section is interesting and challenging.

Greene offers us one original composition on this album called “In her Room.” It’s a jazz waltz that lends a touch of gospel to this album. It also shows off Barry Greene’s blues roots.

Here is an album every jazz lover will want in their collection.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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