Highnote
2007
Life
About This Album
On this Highnote set, master saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman digs back into the past for standards from the worlds of film, pop, jazz, and theater. The disc is named after a composition by the late pianist John Hicks, a familiar companion on a number of Newman dates over the past ten years, who passed away in 2006. The album is dedicated to his memory. David Leonhardt is in the piano chair on this date, along with drummer Yoron Israel, bassist John Menegon, guitarist Peter Bernstein, and vibraphonist Steve Nelson. The album opens with a beautiful reading of Neal Hefti's classic "Girl Talk." Newman's tenor is big, warm, and expressive in the grand Texas tradition. His melodic improvisation on the theme, though, is something that comes from his beginnings with Ray Charles and that has been molded and refined ever since. The flute makes its first appearance on the Hicks number with its bluesy changes. Newman takes the first solo, followed briefly by Nelson and then Leonhardt. The tune is relaxed but tight. There's a gorgeous, swinging Latin backbeat here as Israel just dances over the cymbals and snare. The enormity and depth of Newman's main horn are heard on Burt Bacharach's "Alfie," adapted from the Dionne Warwick single version and beautifully elucidated upon, with a stellar reading of the nuance in the melody.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3,4,5 and 6)

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