Russell Malone • Time For The Dancers

 

Review
by Matt Collar
If 2016's All About Melody showcased Russell Malone's love of a good melodic song, then 2017's Time for the Dancers finds him building upon that sentiment and celebrating his affinity for sweet, rhythmic grooves. The guitarist's third album for High Note, Time for the Dancers is a fluid, engaging production that finds Malone straddling the line between urbane, acoustic jazz standards, earthy funk, and virtuosic balladry. Helping him achieve this superlative balance are longtime bandmates pianist Rick Germanson, bassist Luke Sellick, and drummer Willie Jones III. Together, they play with the kind of nuanced interplay and sensitivity that come with years of live performance -- which they have. With his acoustic, hollow-body guitar and warm, un-effected sound, Malone comes off as a grounded, no-nonsense musician; a swing-friendly progenitor of straight-ahead jazz and standards. All of which is true and evident here. That said, he's also an incredibly soulful improvisationalist with a wide-ranging ear for all kinds of music. What's so invigorating about his approach is just how seamlessly he is able to incorporate all that he hears into one gorgeously realized style. In that sense, he brings to mind a balance of such elder luminaries as Kenny Burrell, Wes Montgomery, and yes, George Benson. From the buoyant and dreamy, '60s-influenced title track to the bluesy twang of "The Ballad of Hank Crawford," Malone grounds the proceedings with his steady, rhythmic swing and perfectly timed attack. It's a skill most evident on his funk-infused homage to his longtime friend, bassist Lonnie Plaxico, on "Leave It to Lonnie." Centered on a tasty bass riff, the song finds Malone slowly building his groove-based solo, weaving in bits of crunchy atonalism and deliciously bluesy asides. Elsewhere, he applies an equally compelling energy to Jose Feliciano's breezy "Theme from 'Chico and the Man'," and a poetic, gorgeously rendered, classically influenced solo take on Billy Joel's ballad "And So It Goes."
https://www.allmusic.com/album/time-for-the-dancers-mw0003062170

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Reseña
por Matt Collar
Si All About Melody de 2016 mostró el amor de Russell Malone por una buena canción melódica, entonces Time for the Dancers de 2017 lo encuentra construyendo sobre ese sentimiento y celebrando su afinidad por los grooves dulces y rítmicos. Time for the Dancers, el tercer álbum del guitarrista para High Note, es una producción fluida y atractiva que encuentra a Malone a caballo entre los estándares de jazz urbano y acústico, el funk terrenal y la balada virtuosa. Le ayudan a conseguir este equilibrio superlativo sus compañeros de banda de toda la vida, el pianista Rick Germanson, el bajista Luke Sellick y el batería Willie Jones III. Juntos, tocan con el tipo de interacción matizada y la sensibilidad que se consigue con años de actuación en directo, que es lo que tienen. Con su guitarra acústica de cuerpo hueco y su sonido cálido y sin efectos, Malone se muestra como un músico con los pies en la tierra y sin complejos; un progenitor del jazz directo y de los estándares. Todo ello es cierto y evidente aquí. Dicho esto, también es un improvisador increíblemente conmovedor con un amplio oído para todo tipo de música. Lo que resulta tan estimulante de su enfoque es la perfección con la que es capaz de incorporar todo lo que escucha en un estilo magníficamente realizado. En este sentido, nos recuerda el equilibrio de luminarias mayores como Kenny Burrell, Wes Montgomery y, sí, George Benson. Desde la boyante y ensoñadora canción que da título al disco, influenciada por los años 60, hasta el blues de "The Ballad of Hank Crawford", Malone se apoya en su constante y rítmico swing y en un ataque perfectamente sincronizado. Es una habilidad muy evidente en su homenaje a su viejo amigo, el bajista Lonnie Plaxico, en "Leave It to Lonnie". Centrado en un sabroso riff de bajo, la canción encuentra a Malone construyendo lentamente su solo basado en el groove, entretejiendo trozos de atonalismo crujiente y deliciosos asideros de blues. Por otra parte, aplica una energía igual de convincente a la alegre "Theme from 'Chico and the Man'" de José Feliciano, y un poético y magnífico solo de influencia clásica en la balada de Billy Joel "And So It Goes".
https://www.allmusic.com/album/time-for-the-dancers-mw0003062170

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Tracklist
1 - Time For The Dancers
Written-By – R. Hanna
6:13
2 - Leave It To Lonnie
Written-By – R. Malone
6:06
3 - The Ballad Of Hank Crawford
Written-By – R. Malone
6:27
4 - There'll Be Another Spring
Written-By – Hubie Wheeler* P. Lee
5:04
5 - Pocket Watch
Written-By – R. Malone
5:51
6 - Theme From "Chico And The Man"
Written-By – J. Feliciano
4:52
7 - And So It Goes
Written-By – B. Joel
4:18
8 - Little B's Poem
Written-By – B. Hutcherson
6:13
9 - Flowers For Emmett Till
Written-By – R. Malone
3:47


Credits:
    Bass – Luke Sellick
    Design – Keiji Obata
    Drums – Willie Jones III
    Engineer – Mike Marciano
    Executive-Producer – Joe Fields
    Guitar, Producer – Russell Malone
    Liner Notes – Dan Bilawsky
    Mastered By, Mixed By – Katsuhiko Naito
    Photography By – Gulnara Khamatova
    Piano – Rick Germanson

Notes
Recorded at Systems Two Recording Studios, Brooklyn, NY on February 28, 2017.

Label: HighNote Records, Inc. – HCD 7305
Released: 2017
Genre: Jazz
Style: Post Bop, Bop, Soul-Jazz
https://www.discogs.com/release/11336901-Russell-Malone-Time-For-The-Dancers

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