Full Moon Hacksaw
August 8, 2019
We start in Cal Tjaders San Francisco Latin percussion world, the grooves crisp and succinct, with an occasional emulation his laid-back Shearing sound (more of which later). Then Tito Puente celebrates his 100th and in a single track honors many vocalists appearing with his orchestra thru the years: Millie P, Tony Vega, Jose Alberto El Canario, Tito Nieves, Domingo Quinones, Santos Colon, Ismael Miranda, Oscar DLeon and Celia Cruz! We must swing from there, so enter T.S. Monk. Singer Lauren Henderson sings in Panamanian/Montserradian/Caribbean Spanish creating tango plus samba equaling TAMBA. Or is it tango and bossa making TOSSA? Jack Castanzo and wife Marda (Saxon one of the vocalists here) were dancers before he became Mr. Bongo and joined Mr. Piano Eddie Cano. To Arkansas for Larry Davis blues, the Pacific Northwest for those of Karen Lovely. Weather alert tones on phones at a concert imitated on piano by Cyrus Chestnut inspired one of his tracks. In hour 2 two tandem tenors are Frank Foster and Frank Wess, then we celebrate Lennie Tristano (who influenced Bill Evans and group interplay) played by George Shearings trio at Blue Note. Smokin sax with Roxy Coss leads to her pianist Miki Yamanaka and her respective album. From the latters label Cellar also comes Vancouver drummer Dave Robbins. From Norway comes drummer Snorre Kirk, then respect to elder statesmen of 1980s jazz, Billy Eckstine and Benny Carter. Soon 8‑string guitarist Charlie Hunter and vocalist Kurt Elling combine funky attitudes, and swing out we do with trombonist Al Grey and trumpeter Sweets Edison. Past aliases: Jazz Mechanic, Workshop/Grooveyard. It all still works, just add Hacksaw.