Off The Tracks

Off The Tracks
  • Blog
    • Interviews
    • Miscellany
    • Special Guests
    • Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • The Vinyl Countdown
  • Back Catalogue
  • About
    • About
    • About the banner image
    • On Song
January 13, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

Harold Mabern: Mabern Plays Coltrane

Harold Mabern

Mabern Plays Coltrane

Smoke Sessions Records

The great post-bop pianist Harold Mabern died, aged 83, in 2019. His final recordings continue to arrive – Leon Lee Dorsey released Mabern’s last ever studio session just last year and here we have a live date from around 2017, released just now brand new. And if the title suggests big boots to fill it’s worth remembering that along with a couple of dozen albums as a leader, Mabern played sideman to the likes of Roland Kirk, Freddie Hubbard, Wes Montgomery, Lee Morgan, George Benson and Stanley Turrentine.

He was an extraordinary player. And you hear him close to full flight here (Impressions) with a killer combo in support. Tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander bursts out of the gate on Dahomey Dance and the full band is a delight on a rip-roaring Blue Train.

Coltrane’s influence continues to tower. And with great players here that include alto-saxophonist Vincent Herring and trombonist Steve Davis the music is so well served.

You are not going to shelve the originals in favour of this – but you are going to hear some dynamic playing from a brilliant ensemble. And if you think of this as being part of Coltrane’s legacy as much as it is Mabern’s you’ll come away from these versions with a new respect for Coltrane’s compositional legacy as well as the playing of the musicians on this set.

Drummer Joe Farnsworth is always all-class, and on My Favourite Things he circles the frenzy that Elvin Jones would propel, but does it in his own classy way.

And the band turns Naima around to lift the tempo and find a new side to this tender ballad.

Gosh, it’s just a fun session to sit with too – such wonderful players, the atmosphere the audience provides makes you feel like you were there as you’re hearing it and you can’t beat this line-up of tunes. Dear Lord’s spring bounce, Straight Street’s old-fashioned blowing-session feel and the forever mercurial Impressions and Blue Train. It’s just top-drawer stuff.

R.I.P. Mr Mabern.

Want more? Check out my Substack

You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron

Posted in Blog, Reviews and tagged with Album Review, Harold Mabern, Harold Mabern: Mabern Plays Coltrane, Jazz, Joe Farnsworth, John Coltrane, Live, Mabern Plays Coltrane, Piano, posthumous, Smoke Sessions Records, Tribute, Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron. RSS 2.0 feed.
« Murder On The Dancefloor
Poem: Ha Ha, Charade You Are »

Popular

  • The Best Guitarist in The World: # 8 – Mark Knopfler
  • Janna Lapidus Leblanc: Four Years In Pictures
  • Sweetman Podcast: Episode 73 – Janna Lapidus Leblanc
  • The Sad Story of Bob Welch: Fleetwood Mac’s Most Undervalued Member
  • Nope: Film
  • The Best Guitarist in The World: # 11 – Lindsey Buckingham
  • How We Listen To – and Collect – Music Has Always Been Changing
  • R.I.P. Ronny Jordan
  • Neil Peart Was The World’s Most Overrated Drummer
  • My Regression: Reading Novelisations, Watching TV Movies

Archives

Tags

Album Review Auckland Blog Book Book Review Chat Compilation DJ Drums DVD EP Film Film Review Gig Gig Review Guest Blog Guitar Interview Jazz Live Live Gig LP Movie Music NZ Podcast Poem Poetry Record Records Short Story Simon Sweetman Soundtrack Spotify Stub Stubs Sweetman Podcast The Vinyl Countdown Vinyl Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron Wellington Wgtn Writing You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron [OST]

Categories

  • Back Catalogue
  • Blog
  • Interviews
  • Miscellany
  • Mixtapes
  • Playlists
  • Podcasts
  • Reviews
  • Scene Of The Day
  • Special Guests
  • The Vinyl Countdown

Off The Tracks is the home of Sweetman Podcast, a weekly interview/chat-based pod. It's also home to my reviews across film, TV, music and books and some creative writing as well.

Off The Tracks aims to provide quality reviews and essays, regular blog updates about the shows, albums, books and movies you should be experiencing.

It's a passion project. Your support will help to keep Off The Tracks online.

All content © 2022 by Off The Tracks. WordPress Themes by Graph Paper Press