I had a chance to catch (as well as photograph) this cooking quartet of All Stars when they came to the latest club in LA, Sam First, and was impressed that this three disc album was able to capture the energy and force of the three night stand.
Garzone and Erskine packed the house with people, and their playing packed it with sound. Garzone is one of the post-modern wonders, able to sound lyrical with Pasqua on the bouncy “Have You Met Miss Jones” as well as “It Could Happen To You,” mixing some Coltranesque harmonics in the undertow. Erskine is as crisp as Romaine lettuce as he snaps everyone to attention on the muscular “The Honeymoon” as the tenor saxist slices through the pulse with a Cold Steel knife with Oles and Erskine digging a deep rivulet. Rich and dark tones from Garzone are emitted on “Invitation” and graceful ivories glisten from Pasqua’s fingers as he dances like Astaire on “Agrodolce.” Throughout the collection of material, only a tiny handful of tunes were played more than once, so the 180+ minutes is filled with fresh sounds galore. It was a great collection of nights, but what night with Erskine or at Sam First isn’t?