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 | Guido Basso & Dave TurnerDedicationsLabel: Justin Time | Jazz | April 23, 2002Format UPC Order # Unit Price |
Credits Guido Basso flugelhorn, harmonica and trumpet Roddy Elias guitar Eric Harding piano Fraser Hollins bass Claude Lavergne drums Dave Turner alto saxophone Production Credits | TracksNo Title Duration Excerpts 02 Samba Em Preludio 00:06:20 05 In A Boppish Sort Of Way 00:05:15 06 Eye Of The Mist 00:07:35 07 Cannon Fodder 00:05:20 08 Nowhere To Go 00:04:12 09 Guido Swings 00:04:24 10 Sweet Lady Day 00:05:51 11 Gone Too Soon 00:07:55 Album DetailsDedications is Guido Basso and Dave Turners superb follow-up to 1998s Midnight Martini. Once again, producers Richard Karmel and Steve Rosenbloom have successfully collaborated with the duo of Basso & Turner, writing Dedications original material (ten out of eleven compositions). Liner NotesAfter decades of rapid evolution starting in the 1920s, jazz since the Sixties has settled into a classic period whose central characteristics are well established. Despite considerable experimentation around the edges, the influences of other musical genres, and healthy doses of individualism, the jazz mainstream today is dominated by an evolution of the post-bop styles established by Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane and a host of others. The music is essentially tonal, melodic, and often toughly lyrical with a continuing insistence on swing as an essential element; there is also a highly conscious respect for the musics past. Aside from developing a high degree of technical proficiency, contemporary jazz players (excluding those dedicated to the avant-garde) must work to establish and express their distinctive musical personalities within what could be confining conventions.This recording is the work of musicians and composers of at least two generations, musicians who have demonstrated that there is still lots of room for exploration and high artistic expression within the prevailing tradition. I first became aware of Guido (then known as Stubby) Basso in the mid-Fifties when he was touted as the new Montreal trumpet wunderkind (Maynard Ferguson had left for the U.S. almost a decade earlier). Guido quickly proved his mettle playing with Maury Kaye¹s fine jazz-oriented show band at the El Morocco, a club which regularly featured top performers like Tony Bennett. His reputation grew, and he left Montreal to tour with Louis Bellson¹s band. A few years later he settled permanently in Toronto where he soon became a top studio player and TV band leader. He worked with Phil Nimmons and in 1968 became a founding member of the Boss Brass, continuing an association with Rob McConnell, which has lasted to the present. Basso has recorded widely and includes harmonica player, composer, arranger and conductor among his talents. However, he is best known for his distinctive voice on trumpet and flugelhorn, especially on ballads like The Elegance Of Duke and Rosenbloom¹s elegiac Gone Too Soon. Recognized by both musicians and the public for his accomplishments, Guido was named to the highly prestigious Order of Canada in 1994. Dave Turner, a decade younger than Guido, is also a stylist with his own recognizable sound. He has long been a star alto player and role model for young saxophonists, having been featured at jazz festivals and clubs across the country and on national radio and TV. Dave has performed across Western Europe, the Baltic States and in the Dominican Republic. He has made a number of return visits to France, Holland and Belgium (where in 1994 he was invited to perform in radio and television celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of the invention of the saxophone). Turner fronted an all-star quartet at New York¹s Sweet Basil, a gig which later resulted in the critically-acclaimed recording For The Kindness Of Strangers (Justin Time). He has been nominated for a Juno Award and in 1996 was named Alto Saxophonist Of The Year by the magazine Jazz Report. Dave, who is also an impressive composer, has recorded several CDs as leader of his own groups and as a co-leader with Wray Downes (Last Call At Café Alto - MTF) and Guido Basso (Midnight Martini - Justin Time). Backing the co-leaders and valuable solo contributions of their own is the rhythm section that worked so well on Midnight Martini: Roddy Elias (guitars), Fraser Hollins (bass) and Claude Lavergne (drums). An inspired addition is the pianist Eric Harding, whose playing on this recording is bound to earn him a well-deserved wider recognition. The compositions of Steve Rosenbloom and Richard Karmel are not slavish imitations but true dedications, works designed to capture the spirit of the earlier masters with engaging and original material. Aside from the intrinsic appeal of the composition as a discreet creation, the test of a jazz tune is also in the enthusiasm, invention and emotion that it prompts in the player. Listen to the ebullient solos on Cannon Fodder, dedicated to a Turner favorite. The record, as they say, speaks for itself. Dave Turner and Guido Basso are mature musicians at the top of their games. Both are stylists and singers whose romanticism is sincerely and tastefully expressed, especially at slower tempos. The testimony to their consummate artistry is that in all situations they continue to delight and amaze with the power and freshness of their playing. Doug Rollins, Staff Writer, Planet Jazz |
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