PETE MILLS

FOR THE RECORD

Mighty Ernie Records

Pete Mills, tenor saxophone/composer; Jon Eshelman, Hammond B3 Organ/composer; Tom Davis, electric guitar/composer; Zach Compston, drums/composer.

Pete Mills is a Toronto, Canada born saxophonist. He has joined with a trio of organ, guitar and drums. There is nothing I enjoy more than an organ-infused jazz group.

The quartet starts out swinging hard on the organ player’s composition “For the Record” with Pete Mills leading the way on his tenor sax.

Mills has recorded formerly with another popular organ player, Tony Monaco.  It was for Summit Records and titled “Fresh Spin” back in 2007. Obviously, he’s comfortable in this environment.

Mills holds degrees from Eastman School of Music and the University of North Texas.   He currently teaches saxophone, improvisation, and directs the jazz ensemble at Denison University.  Mills formerly taught at Ohio State University, Kenyon College and East Carolina University.

As a composer, Mills has contributed three songs to this album. His guitarist, Tom Davis has also contributed three original compositions and drummer Zach Compston has written two songs for this project.

“The Kid” is a Pete Mills original.  He strides across space on his tenor saxophone, with Jon Eshelman’s pedals walking the bass line beneath him, and Compston kicking the piece into gear on drums. Eshelman’s organ solo comes next, tickling my memory of legendary pairings of sax and organ, like Stanley Turrentine with Jimmy Smith.

“Bird Lives” is one of my favorites with its up-tempo, post-bop excitement. Pete Mills stretches out on this one in a Charlie-Parker-kind-of-way. Tom Davis takes an impressive guitar solo. Then Zach steals the spotlight on his drum kit, soloing with power and pulse. This tune is built on the changes of “Confirmation.”

Tom Davis tributes the great Kenny Burrell on a tune he penned called, “Kenny, Ken.”  It’s another ‘swing’ tune, anchored by the Compston backbeat, showcasing a beautiful melody and impressive guitar improvised solo by Davis.

All of these band members are composers. The tune “Z is for Zadie” was written by Compston to celebrate the birth of his niece. He uses brushwork to gently pulse the tune with rhythm, while Pete Mills slow-swings over the melodic chord changes on his tenor sax. This is another favorite tune of mine, reverting to a bluesy close that fades the tune out.

This group, cultivated over years of live performances, has been working closely together in several settings. They reflect a warm, comfortable chemistry. Their swinging bond is clearly present in every arrangement and on each entertaining tune.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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