Freddy Cole
Talk To Me
High Note Records
www.jazzdepot.com

Houston Person
So Nice
High Note Records
www.jazzdepot.com

By George W. Harris

These two recent releases from jazz vets ably demonstrate what is
missing in the current music scene: authority. Both of these guys play
like they mean it, sound like themselves, and a comfortable in their
own skin.
There’s the story of an atheist being known for frequenting the sermons
by famed 19th century English preacher Charles Spurgeon. His friends
couldn’t understand what was happening to him. “Do you go because you
believe it?” “No,” he replied. “I go because HE believes it.”

Freddy Cole has made an impressive career without having to bank on his
older brother’s name. This latest disc has Cole sticking to vocals (too
bad, as his piano playing is impressive) with an impressively swinging
team of Harry Allen/ts, Terrell Stafford/tp, Randy Napoleon/g, John Di
Martino/p, Elias Bailey/b and Curtis Boyd/dr. The tunes aren’t jazz
standards or major American songbook themes. Bill Withers gets a couple
of his pieces done to perfection on “My Imagination” and “You Just
Can’t Smile It Away.” His Cuban cigar of a smoky voice creates rings on
the strutting “Lovely Day,” while he can sound candlelight intimate on
“I Was Telling Her About You.” Sure, guys like Elling and Buble’ are
fine, but as my dad would say, “the real test is if you can listen to
them 5 hours straight and not go crazy.” Give me 5 hours of Cole, any
day.

Same with Person. He’s got an authority to his playing that makes
mockery of 95% of today’s so-called tenor greats. He comes from the Gene
Ammons/Lockjaw Davis school, sounding like his tenor has been put into
a smoker all day, and bringing it out only after the meat is dripping
off the bone. He’s with a hep team of Warren Vache/cn-fh, Mark
Patterson/tb, John Dimartino/p, Ray Drummond/b, Howard Alden/g and
Lewis Nash/dr for a collection of material ranging from Ellington to
Broadway. His tenor moans on “All To Soon” and swings like an old tire
from a tree on “Star Eyes.” Pleasant surprises are his hip readings of
Bacharach’s “Close To You” and his album closing “Sondheim Medley”
which has him bare his soul for 6 glorious minutes. Bring this one to
your desert island!