Jon Gordon: 7th Ave South
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Scan the list of players saxophonist Jon Gordon assembled for 7th Ave South and you know you're in for a treat. Consider: augmenting the leader on alto and soprano are tenor saxophonist Walter Smith III, trombonist Alan Ferber, trumpeter Jon Challoner, bass clarinetist John Ellis, guitarist Jocelyn Gould, pianist Will Bonness, bassist Julian Bradford, and drummer Fabio Ragnelli, all leaders in their own right or first-call players who enhance any session they join. Add to that vocal contributions from Joanna Majoko and Erin Propp and you've got the makings of a terrific and rewarding set.

As the title implies, the album is Gordon's fond homage to the New York club scene he was introduced to over forty years ago by a family friend and that changed his life forever. Many of the Greenwich Village clubs were within walking distance of one another, from The Village Vanguard and Sweet Basil to the Village Gate, Lush Life, and the 55 Bar, and immersing himself in that milieu set Gordon on a path he's pursued ever since. Yet while 7th Ave South recalls that era, it's also Gordon's celebration of the community he's nurtured as both a musician and professor in the jazz program at the University of Manitoba. Consistent with that, many of the players on the album are his school colleagues and former students. The university's talent pool, past and present, is clearly rich.

Gordon's eclectic set-list ranges from long-form instrumental travelogues to sultry vamps and even a Lennon-McCartney cover. For his own compositions, the leader's coupled recent tunes with ones from the ‘90s treated to fresh, new arrangements. Framing the recording are pieces featuring a ten-voice choir mostly comprised of former students of the university's jazz program. Written in 1995, “Witness” eases the listener in with voices and instruments swimming in a contemplative, rubtao-esque swirl. The title track that follows is more representative of the album, however, with the lithe swing of the rhythm section lending animation to a buoyant soprano statement by Gordon. The pulse changes to a snappy walk when Bonness enters with a solo that's by turns rollicking and rousing; as appealing is Gordon's ensemble scoring, which works every player into the intricate piece's arrangement.

The other non-Gordon piece comes from one of his former university colleagues, Quincy Davis. Aptly titled, “Ponder This” spotlights the album's quieter side, with wordless vocals by Majoko adding to its sultry allure and a soprano solo again showing Gordon's dexterity on the instrument. Gould steps forth with a tasty turn too as the music unfurls slowly alongside the guitarist. Similar in tone (if more brooding) is “Visit,” originally written in 2006 for a trio with Ben Monder and Billy Drummond but now presented in an expanded arrangement and ornamented with vocalise from Propp. Gordon also digs into his album collection for a satisfying makeover of “Here, There and Everywhere” from 1966's Revolver. With a luscious jazz orchestra arrangement as a backdrop, Propp delivers a fresh take on the vocal part that the leader builds on with his freewheeling soprano.

June 2024