Review Summary: Dig, Gordon, Dig!!
Well there just isn’t anything quite like traditional swing jazz, is there? Trombonist and band leader Wycliffe Gordon seems to share this sentiment with me. Coming off a tenure with Wynton Marsalis, Gordon decided to work on a solo project. He backed himself with a talented band featuring Peter Bernstein on guitar, organist Sam Yahel, saxophonist Seamus Blake and Bill Stewart on drums. Despite coming out in the modern era, this album could easily be mistaken for something from the 30's, 40's or 50's golden era of traditional jazz. Mixing elements of swing, dixieland, blues and be-bop, Gordon is certainly a revivalist with his solo project. While certainly not a trail blazing, boundary pushing modern jazz artist compared to other artists such as Dave Holland; Wycliffe Gordon’s Dig This remains a nostalgic, enjoyable run through traditional jazz.
The one thing that stands out from other traditional jazz ensembles is the appearance of organist Sam Yahel. Playing on a Hammond organ, Yahel adds a distinct flavour to the record. The organ acts very much in stead lea of a bass, sitting in the background, keeping the chord progression and emerging every once in awhile to contribute a solo. The organ playing is smart in staying away from becoming gimmicky and lends an almost gospel tinge to some of the pieces, such as the slow blues ballad Old Man Blooz (Take 2). The piece has Gordon on the lead with a muted trombone which accented by Yahel’s textured organ playing, eventually taking a solo towards the end of the piece. The following track, and album highlight, Limehouse Blues presented the best aspect of the album; the musicianship. While the compositions are certainly solid throughout the album, they aren’t anything special. The musicianship, however, is another story. Limehouse Blues features a solo from everybody in the group. Gordon again shows his prowess with his extraordinary tones, multi-note abilities and overall skill on the trombone. Blake on the saxophone gets his first chance to really show his chops in the album, and he does so splendidly, matching Gordon’s speed and dexterity. The piece ends with some fantastic interplay between Gordon and Blake, which doesn’t come up often enough.
The drumming on the album is rather typical of traditional jazz. It isn’t very flashy, but it’s extremely locked in, never missing a beat or straying out of time. The aforementioned Limehouse Blues, or even the rocking Jookin’ the Blooz (possibly the “catchiest” piece on the album”) are the best examples of the solid drumming. Both pieces often switch between common and cut time, and both produces some of the few examples of drum solos on the album. Despite the traditional nature and length of the album, the music continuously remains refreshing throughout it’s duration. There are several different styles of jazz present: slow burning blues ballads, up-tempo and fun swing songs, mid-tempo dixieland and even a slightly (I emphasize slightly) avant-garde solo trombone piece in Blues Etude. All these different elements of traditional jazz, along with the great performances from the players keep the album flowing smoothly and keeps it from becoming stale.
It is hard to find any fault in this album at all. One could argue that the music doesn’t push enough boundaries, but then again, it’s a revivalist album; what did you expect? This isn’t modern fusion or progressive jazz we are looking at here. This is an honest and nostalgic album that looks back to the fore fathers of jazz. People who are not into traditional jazz should probably stay away, however those who are, or who are looking to get into jazz, should look to pick this album up. The musicianship is fantastic, the compositions are solid and most importantly the music itself is enjoyable. All in all, this is a great record from Wycliffe Gordon, a very talented individual.
