SAUL DAUTCH

MUSIC FOR THE PEOPLE

Doubleton Records

Saul Dautch, baritone saxophone/composer; Miki Yamanaka, piano; Louie Leager, bass; Hank Allen-Barfield, drums. Noah Halpern, trumpet.

At fifteen years old, teenaged Saul Dautch discovered the baritone saxophone.  Dautch is a native of Delray Beach, Florida, where his young friends turned him on to jazz and his musical journey began at the International Baccalaureate Program of Atlantic Community High School.  Saul attended a jazz summer camp supported by that high school.  There, he met Mike Brignola who is a great baritone sax player who played with the Woody Herman Band.  The masterful baritone player scooped Saul Dautch under his wing, and began giving him private lessons.

Another of Saul’s main influences became the great Pepper Adams.  Dautch opens this album with a tune Pepper Adams and Donald Byrd played with Donald’s 1962 quintet on an album called “The Cat Walk.”  The tune Saul Dautch covers is called “Hello Bright Sunflower,” composed by Duke Pearson.

The Dautch arrangement is a refreshed production, incorporating a large ensemble sound. Louie Leager steps forward to solo first on his bass, followed by Dautch on baritone saxophone.  The group swings.  Noah Halpern adds his trumpet solo and together, the quintet sounds playful and relaxed. Miki Yamanaka performs creatively during her improvised piano solo

“Music for the People is my heartfelt tribute to the ones who have shaped me, my family, friends, and mentors.  Without their love and support, I wouldn’t be the artist or person I am today.  This album represents the culmination of my first five years in New York City,” Saul Dautch writes in his liner notes.

Every other tune on this album is written by Saul Dautch.  Track #2 is called “Nighttime on the Red Line.”  He composed it while returning home on the subway train from a jam session at Smalls Club in Manhattan.

Dautch wrote “Odious Din” as a tribute to unpleasant noises, like the ones his pet cat makes.  I actually like this tune very much.  Halpern’s trumpet solo is full of energy and spunk and the baritone saxophone solo of Dautch, is very reminiscent of Pepper Adams and his love of playing fast solos on the baritone sax. The drums of Hank Allen-Barfield are power-packed during this arrangement.  He pushes this song ahead with skill and precision and the drummer sparkles during his solo.

All in all, this is a very well-produced and well-written album of original music by Saul Dautch.  It also spotlights the woodwind player’s awesome talents on baritone saxophone.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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