Andy Fusco - Whirlwind

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:55
Size: 144,6 MB
Art: Front

( 6:22)  1. Acceptance
( 7:49)  2. Count's The Thing
( 7:13)  3. Waltz For Judy
(10:27)  4. Django
( 6:35)  5. The Touch of Your Lips
( 8:33)  6. Whirlwind
( 7:55)  7. How About Me
( 7:56)  8. In Dominic's Time

The opportunity to listen to six recently released discs on the venerable SteepleChase label (and the SteepleChase LookOut branch) is a little like reading an anthology of short stories by distinguished authors from a particular year or period. You get a hearty helping of vital, mature voices, most of whom operate somewhere in the jazz mainstream, without too much of an overlap of the artists' values, proclivities, and preferences. By and large, each leader and his cohort make a legitimate claim to the listener's attention. Founder/producer Nils Winther should be given credit for continuing to present memorable work, mostly by veteran artists who otherwise might remain undocumented. From the perspective of a longtime fan of alto saxophonist Andy Fusco (and of each member of his band as well), it's difficult to comprehend why Whirlwind wasn't issued for over twelve years after it was initially recorded. The briefest of back-stories is that trombonist John Mosca of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra brought the original tape to Nils Winther, who recognized the music's value and took care of the business of getting it out and available to the public. Whirlwind is one of those rare releases that exceeds craft and competence, and establishes its own reasons for being. Among other things, it's a bottomless well of a jazz record. The more you play it, the more discoveries you make. The music offers multiple perspectives and can be enjoyed in a number of ways.

The chemistry between members of the quintet and their collective wisdom is on a level seldom attained on contemporary mainstream jazz recordings.  In terms of personnel and execution the recording is a prequel of sorts to Sight To Sound (Criss Cross), Walt Weiskopf's magnum opus recorded just a few months after, which featured Fusco who once mentored Weiskopf in the reed section of Buddy Rich's Big Band Mosca, pianist Joel Weiskopf (Walt's brother), and drummer Billy Drummond. The late Dennis Irwin is the bassist in Fusco's group. Walt Weiskopf's fingerprints are also on Whirlwind, in the form of two of his compositions, the title track and "Waltz For Judy."  It simply doesn't pay to make any blanket statements about the efforts of the record's primary soloists. Fusco, Mosca, and Weiskopf all have a knack for adapting their styles to the material at hand. Fusco's tone keening, tightly wound, sometimes sounding as if he's yanking notes out of the horn conditions much of what he plays. His phrases throughout "Count's The Thing" are measured, balanced, and contain a sense of urgency. A treatment of Irving Berlin's "How About Me" patient, romantic, and searching is a brilliant example of bebop balladry. Particularly on "Count's The Thing," Mosca manages to be everywhere at once, slippery and direct within the space of a couple of bars, without ever sounding particularly notey or busy. Throughout "In Dominic's Time" the trombonist creates something new and consistently breaks ground while clearly staying inside of the tune's parameters. Joel Weiskopf's virtues include a medium weight touch and the ability to swing with authority (he's so simpatico with Irwin and Drummond) without playing a lot of notes. Check out the title track for an example of a turn that's more effusive and emphatic then some of his other efforts on the record. It's enjoyable to isolate some of the couplings within the ensemble. Joel Weiskopf's sensitive, knowing comping amidst Fusco's solos often anticipates or inspires the saxophonist's next move.

Fusco's "Count's The Thing" improv and his turn on "How About Me" are good examples of their rapport. Contrary to conventional wisdom regarding the necessity of a drummer's diminished role behind a piano soloist, some of Drummond's most aggressive and effective playing on the record is behind Weiskopf. For instance, during John Lewis' "Django," accents to the snare and toms carry just the right amount of weight and spread out a bit, giving the music a slightly agitated vibe that never turns excessive. In other instances, such as the title track, he executes extended, contrapuntal lines behind the pianist. The widely imitated Coltrane/Jones saxophone and drum segments are given a new lease on life during a part of the head and some of Fusco's solo during "Whirlwind." In particular, the duo creates a long percussive rush, as Drummond chews on and spits out Fusco's litany of brief, agitated phrases.  It was indeed an exceptionally fine day in the studio. Many thanks to Nils Winther for enabling Whirlwind to escape the dustbin of history. ~ David A.Orthmann https://www.allaboutjazz.com/six-recent-steeplechase-releases-by-david-a-orthmann.php

Personnel:  Andy Fusco -  alto saxophone;  John Mosca -  trombone;  Joel Weiskopf - piano;  Dennis Irwin -  bass;  Billy Drummond -  drums

Whirlwind

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