Love Is a Song Anyone Can Sing (Crab Shack Music)
Jack Kilby and the Front Line
Released October 5, 2018
2019 Wammie Best Jazz Album Award Winner
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lSFqNvz4xhhxw6–w1-xab3J1IvvVxQok
Spotify:
About:
Jack Kilby and The Front Line’s new recording entitled “Love is a Song Anyone Can Sing” is a tour de force featuring a group of emerging young musicians who are genuine talents deserving much wider recognition and a timely message delivered by a gifted and capable messenger.
Mr. Kilby is a true keeper of the flame previously lit by jazz masters such as Art Blakey, Philly Joe Jones and Miles Davis. His brilliance on the drums in conjunction with his formidable skills as an arranger/producer/bandleader have resulted in a wonderful recording that marries creative and soulful emotion with technical excellence.
This is a wonderful recording that is as uplifting as it is enjoyable and I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone who wants to feel good all day.
Dennis Mackrel (former Drummer and Conductor of the Count Basie Orchestra)
Track Listing:
Vol. 1
1. Micah Robinson Introduces 01:10
2. Love Is a Song Anyone Can Sing (Charles Owens) 06:47
3. With Love From Kris Monson 00:52
4. Hipsippy Blues (Hank Mobley) 04:25
5. With Love From Sam Blakelock 00:47
6. Pure Imagination (Leslie Bricusse / Anthony Newley) 05:27
7. With Love From the House Band 00:19
8. A Tribute to Someone (Herbie Hancock) 06:05
9. More Love From the House Band 00:43
10. Sensitive Like Ladies (John D’earth) 04:21
11. Even More Love From the House Band 00:39
12. Life in a Glasshouse (Radiohead) 07:25
13. A Bridge Between 00:55
Vol. 2
14. Driftin’ (Herbie Hancock) 05:34
15. With Love From Ian Dansey 01:02
16. Jupiter (Gustav Holst) 08:17
17. With Love From Mark G. Meadows 01:07
18. Colors of the Wind (Alan Menken / Stephen Schwartz) 05:26
19. More Love From Ian Dansey 00:49
20. Pure Imagination [Reimagined] 05:52
21. Micah Robinson Concludes 07:24
Personnel:
Jack Kilby: drums, bandleader
John D’earth: trumpet
Charles Owens: tenor saxophone
Elad Cohen: trombone
Kris Monson: bass
Allyn Johnson: piano
Featured Guests
Soloman Howard: vocals (10)
Antonio Hart: soprano saxophone (12)
Micah Robinson: vocals, introduction
Recorded at Bias Studios by Mike Monseur
Mixed and Mastered by Dave Darlington
Producers: Jack Kilby, Carroll “CV” Dashiell III, Fedel Estefanos, Van
Review:
Jack Kilby and the Front Line is a collaborative effort formed in 2014 in New York City. The ensemble includes members from New York, Washington DC, and Virginia. What is most striking is the span of generations, ranging from twenty-six to forty-six. The album has been released in separate volumes but is now available as one complete recording. Volume one, released in October 2018, features the band’s core sextet: Jack Kilby, the drummer and bandleader; Kris Monson on bass; Allyn Johnson on piano; John D’Earth on trumpet; Charles Owens on tenor saxophone and Elad Cohen on trombone, performing their hard bop-inspired repertoire. The second volume includes splendid guest artists who take the core sound and expand upon the group’s ideas, adding a depth of execution to the compositions. The overall album is titled Love is a Song Anyone Can Sing and it’s filled with technical prowess, singing melodies and seamless performances.
The title track is a play right from the Art Blakey book, with the three horns and rhythm section all playing their part to create a tune that swings. It sways in the Latin sections and the hits are crisp and together. The melody is soulful and carries the tradition with a strong purpose. Saxophonist Owens takes the ball for the first solo, scoring a melodic and technically brilliant play that is a testament to the power of the band. Cohen gets the handoff next, his big warm trombone sound is steeped in the tradition as he darts and weaves through the harmony to source a musical goal that all jazz lovers will appreciate. This is hard-bop with a modern twist and it sounds and feels wonderful. This Owens original is used as the theme for mini-interludes throughout the project, because “Love is a Song Anyone Can Sing” and Kilby shows we can all have our own way of phrasing it.
Kilby shows his diverse and open ears with his outstanding arrangement of “Jupiter” from Gustav Holst’s orchestral suite The Planets. Jupiter is the Bringer of Jollity and Kilby taps into the theme and brings a joyful arrangement that has multiple sections. Joining the band is Antonio Hart on alto saxophone, Peter Del Grosso on french horn, and Marcus Tenney on trumpet. Hart’s solo statement is epic. The band follows him as he pushes the energy higher and higher. The creativity of this band is outstanding; everyone involved is technically skilled and speaks a wide-ranging language of jazz. The addition of french horn was a great choice and adds to the ensemble color, especially in the main themes of the movement.
Overall, Love is a Song Anyone Can Sing is as diverse as the title suggests. Love is certainly a subjective emotion that speaks to each individual differently. Kilby has constructed a well-oiled large ensemble to carry out his spectacular ideas with panache. From a re-imagination by vocalist Christie Dashiell on the R&B inspired “Pure Imagination,” to “Colors of The Wind,” which also features Mark G Meadows on piano and Braxton Cook on flute, to Front Line members performing an humorous ode to Lester Young, the album adds up to a delightful listen from beginning to end. Love is a Song Anyone Can Sing certainly is a strong and meaningful debut by Jack Kilby and the Front Line.
Geannine Reid (All About Jazz)
