Label: Smoke Sessions Records, 2023
Personnel - Jean Baylor: vocals; Bruce Williams: alto saxophone, flute; Stefon Harris: vibraphone; George Colligan: piano; Buster Williams: bass; Lenny White: drums.
Bassist/composer Buster Williams is a living jazz legend who worked with Art Blakey, Chet Baker, Chick Corea, Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins, just to name a few. He was also a frequent and reliable choice of celebrated singers such as Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae and Betty Carter. For this session at Smoke, he delivers eight pieces - four originals (old and new) and four covers - in an old-fashioned way (in the best sense of the word), celebrating his 80th birthday with musical intensity. Faithful to this idea, the album title, Unalome, refers to a Buddhist symbol representing individual transcendence and the path to enlightenment over the course of one’s life.
The bassist’s voluptuous tones can be heard pronto on “Stairways”, an extremely pleasant new original and my favorite track on the album. Vocalist Jean Baylor (co-leader of the Baylor Project) brings auxiliary expression to the melodic threads in the head, while the soloists - saxophonist Bruce Williams, vibraphonist Stefon Harris and pianist George Colligan - infuse their statements with clarity and honesty, mixing tradition and inventiveness while illuminating around the edges of a safe rhythmic net mounted by the bandleader and his long-time associated drummer, Lenny White.
“Estate”, written by Italian pianist Bruno Martino and popularized by Brazilian singer/guitarist João Gilberto, takes the form of a romantic 4/4 bolero marked by a two-bar bass groove. “Tayamisha”, an old original penned for the bassist's daughter, is recovered with an Asian-tinge and a gentle but determined swinging propulsion. Buster’s hands splatter across the bass for a solo that sounds unorthodox in particular spots.
Tradition is all around, being eminently heightened during a fine reading of “You’ve Got the World on a String”, which, being sang with a laid-back posture by Baylor, develops in pure swinging fashion. The Warren/Dubin classic “42nd Street”, a hymn to New York midtown, thrives with a new arrangement that combines jazz and R&B. This number is introduced by Baylor, who seems to rejoice with opportune saxophone interjections during the theme.
The Buddhist influence appears on “The Wisdom of Silence”, where Buster spreads his famous singing lines over the vibing chords at the base. Later, he uses remarkable accompaniment to conduct a modal circularity that transmits a blend of poignancy and mystery.
Many of the cuts on Buster Williams’ Unalome sound familiar but the group handles them with a kind of grace that is indicative of their skills and good taste.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Stairways ► 03 - Tayamisha ► 07 - I’ve Got the World on a String