March 21, 2015
Over the years, I have heard many of my sax playing friends talking about “Otto Link” mouthpieces the same way that drummers talk about various, revered drumsticks models and sizes. “Overheard” might be a better way to describe it because I didn’t really understand what these reed players were talking about. These conversations were always characterized by a passion for the particular “Otto Link mouthpiece” in question and why it was so much better suited to the needs of a particular player.
Imagine my surprise, then, when a copy of Benny Sharoni’s new CD arrived entitled - Slant Signature - which was also the name of one of the most-prized versions of Otto Link’s mouthpieces, arrived in the mail! I hadn’t heard the name of the mouthpiece referenced in years and here it was coming back at me as a CD title. Small world.
The title of Benny’s new CD along with the music on it brought back a lot of memories - all of them pleasant.
The source of these fond recollections begins with Benny selection of three Jazz Standards that have always been among my favorites: Lee Morgan’s Ceora, Ray Bryant’s Tonk and Freddie Hubbard’s Down Under. I wonder if Jim Rotondi’s presence on the recording had anything to do with the choice of the Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard tunes.? I mean, the word has been out for some time that Jim is a big fan of Freddie’s playing [major understatement].
While on the subject of Jim, his playing has matured to the point that it exhibits so much more authority and forcefulness on this recording, let alone, much more use of the middle and lower registers of the horn. Benny made a great choice in selecting Jim as his front line mate for these dates as Rotondi compliments and complements him beautifully throughout.
Another source for pleasant reminders are the piano solos of Joe Barbato because the guy really knows what a “swinging eight note means” let alone how to swing one. Thoughts of Phineas Newborn, Jr., Gene Harris and Victor Feldman, among many other “swinging” pianists, are conjured up when Joe digs in. He comes at you hard and with a take-no-prisoners approach in his solos. Just a delight to hear that this style of piano Jazz is “alive and well” thanks to Joe’s superb touch.
Bassist Chuck Israels talks about the “wedding bells” that he likes to hear when his bass lines mesh with a drummer’s cymbal beat and that certainly happens when Todd Baker’s big, full bass sound interlocks with drummer Steve Langone’s clicking cymbal beat on Slant Signature.
The two really interlace throughout the CD, power the pulse of the music with impeccably solid time and just lift it with a swinging precision that brought back memories of Ray Brown with Ed Thigpen in Oscar Peterson’s trio, or Israel Crosby and Vernel Crosby with both the Ahmad Jamal Trio and the George Shearing Quintet and of bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones with the classic Miles Davis Quintet and Sextet. When Joe Barbato joins in with his sensitive comping, it become a rhythm section that provides Benny, Freddie, Joe with the freedom to soar, take risks and seek new directions.
And, if I was asked to find a single phrase that describes the memories that coming flooding back when I listen to Benny Sharoni’s tenor saxophone on Slant Signatures, it would be just that - Benny seeks new directions.
Of course, there are influences: to my ears, memories of - Wayne Shorter, George Coleman, Hank Mobley - those with a softer, lighter, more fluid approach to the tenor [I also hear a little Benny Golson].
But it is the way that Benny puts his ideas together that stand out on this recording. This is not a mere imitator; Benny is trying to achieve his own voice by bringing a fresh approach to the way in which he constructs his improvised lines.
He doesn’t always make it, but he is a risk taker and the reward, when it does work, is something new and different.
While the Jazz Life is not always an easy one in terms of longevity and there is no guarantee of success, hopefully, Benny will continue to grow and develop because I think he has the potential to be a major voice in the making.
Another aspect of his originality is reflected in the five compositions that Benny penned for the date. These are interesting in conception, sound like fun to play on and provide another vehicle for Benny to more fully express his musical personality.
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