Howard Alden
I Remember Django
Arbors Records
www.arborsrecords.com

Allan Vache’
Look To The Sky
Arbors Records
www.arborsrecords.com
By George W. Harris

Here are a couple of the latest release by Arbors Records, that
reliable holder of the swing candle. This music shows, as Sonny Rollins
once said, that jazz isn’t a song, but an attitude, as these guys take
material from the 20s to the 70s and swing it out like their whacking
the dust out of an old blanket.

7-string guitarist Howard Alden made his name on the soundtrack for the
Woody Allen movie (Sweet and Lowdown) that featured Django Reinhardt’s
music and style. Just last year, Alden was used for a wonderful Play
Along disc for Reinhardt’s tunes. Here, Alden mixes and matches tunes
performed by, inspired by and penned (pun intended) by Reinhardt, and
the results are glorious.

Teamed with Matt Munisteri/g and John Burr/b, Alden snaps and slices
through a crisp “Nagasaki” and a spirited “I’m Forever Blowing
Bubbles/I’ll See You In My Dreams” that perfectly captures the gypsy
spirit of the Hot Club of France. Anat Cohen lends her hot jazz
clarinet and soprano to a fiery “Up Jumped You With Love” and a
floating “Nuages,” while cornetist Warren Vache’ does a marvelous duet
with Alden on “I’m Confessin’” as well as a sizzling samba’d “Between
The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea.” You’ll be snapping your fingers to
this one for quite awhile.

Clarinetist Allan Vache’ teams up with a snappy small group as well as
The Central Florida Chamber Orchestra that goes to different poles of
loose and wild swing and richly crafted arrangements. Of the former, a
sizzling take of the Motown hit “For Once In My Life” shows Vache’s
dexterity over the stick, while an aching take of “Moanin’ Low”
includes some wispy vocals by Tammy Georgine. The material with the
CFCO includes a rich reading of “Long Ago and Far Away” as well as a
panoramic “Alfie.” Everything here spotlights a rich tone by Vache’
who’s not afraid to let his vibrato do the talking. He’s got a sound
warmer than Goodman’s, but an elasticity reminiscent of Bechet. Nothing
wrong with that!!