Bennie Wallace - Moodsville (2001/2018) [DSD128]

This latest album from tenor saxophonist Bennie Wallace (a familiar audiophile artist) is one of his finest and most lyrical sessions to date. Recorded direct to 2-track Analog Tape at Systems 2 in New York in May the session features some of the hottest jazz musicians currently working in the US: Mulgrew Miller (piano), Peter Washington (bass) and Lewis Nash (drums) The performances include the following Love For Sale. I Concentrate On You, A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing, When A Woman Loves A Man, April In Paris, Milestones and Con Alma. The sound and feel of the album is very close to that of the great Moodsville and Prestige recordings of the 50s and 60s featuring artists like Gene Ammons. This album is a tribute to those great recordings hence the title Moodsville. There are stunning versions of April In Paris, A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing and When A Woman Loves A Man. This is the kind of beautiful, smoky, full bodied and ballad-filled tenor sax album that audiophiles just love!"Bennie Wallace is unlike any tenor saxophonist, often alternating between a soulful, fat tone (which is very similar to Ben Webster's approach) and sudden unpredictable jumps (no doubt inspired by alto saxophonist Eric Dolphy). Joined by an outstanding rhythm section consisting of pianist Mulgrew Miller, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Lewis Nash, Wallace explores favorites from the swing and bop eras, with his bandmates providing a solid anchor underneath his flights. Two gems from the pen of Billy Strayhorn, the rhapsodic "My Little Brown Book" and the fragile ballad "A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing," stand in a class by themselves with Wallace's fresh interpretations. Both theLatin-flavored arrangement of "Love for Sale" and Dizzy Gillespie's "Con Alma" pack a powerful punch, while "Milestones" (the earlier one which Miles Davis recorded for Savoy, though it was actually composed by John Lewis) takes a far more adventurous route than typically heard.
This excellent session demonstrates a mature artist with a very distinct sound, which should be the ultimate goal of every jazz musician. This highly recommended Album is one of Bennie Wallace's best sessions of his long, very fruitful career."
- Ken Dryden, All Music



Tracks:

01 - I'll Never Smile Again (6:04)
02 - Con Alma (5:39)
03 - April In Paris (4:31)
04 - Milestones (7:02)
05 - When A Man Loves A Woman (6:33)
06 - Love For Sale (5:00)
07 - My Little Brown Book (5:57)
08 - I Concentrate On You (6:08)
09 - A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing (3:56)

Personnel:

Bennie Wallace tenor saxophone
Mulgrew Miller piano
Peter Washington bass
Lewis Nash drums