Label: 577 Records, 2023
Personnel - Joe Melnicove: flute; George Garzone: tenor saxophone; Ben Street: bass; Billy Hart: drums. Guest - Jerry Bergonzi: piano (#8).
Like me, you've probably never heard of Israeli-born flutist Joe Melnicove, a classically trained, Berklee School graduate musician who makes his debut as a leader with You is You. Playing side by side with his mentor, the super post-bop saxophonist George Garzone, and backed by the dream rhythm team of bassist Ben Street and veteran drummer Billy Hart, Melnicove presents an adventurous set of competently made music, where he displays his skills as an exploring flutist.
All tunes on the album are Melnicove’s with the exception of two - “Sky Shines on August Sunday” is a dulcet ballad composed by Argentinian saxophonist Liana Catalano, who dedicates it to Garzone’s late son, Anthony. The saxophonist blows his horn here with a Ben Webster airy gloss and the piece features Jerry Bergonzi on piano. The other cut is Garzone’s compellingly catchy “Between Two Cities”, which flows like a sultry bolero propelled by Hart’s efficient mallet work while carrying a mix of Western and Eastern flavors. By the end, the drummer showcases his less-is-better principle throughout his dry drum statement.
Melnicove’s pieces deserve attention, starting with the concise opener, “Monday Night”, a laid-back modal poem with a gentle gravitational pull. It should have been extended such is the beauty of the flute and sax interplay, scintillating cymbals, and resonant bowed bass. “Sketch/Graphite” cuts right to the chase with a keen sense of counterpoint and communicative disposition. The improvisations, imbued with narrative authority, slide across the impeccable rhythmic and harmonic net offered by Street and Hart.
Whereas “No Applause” and “Day Job” adopt swinging articulation and range of motion within a context that highlights post-bop stability and ambitious avant-jazz, “Compilation” benefits from a motivic thematic treatment, zippy interactions, and an appropriate rhythmic stimulation. It boasts an Eric Dolphy-esque vibe.
You is You is an accessible album, where the quartet keeps the swing percolating nicely while venturing beyond on account of individual statements.
Favorite Tracks:
02 - Sketch/Graphite ► 04 - Between two Cities ► 10 - Compilation