Neil Stalnaker

Kamome, Yokohama
June 8, 2009

Neil Stalnaker - trumpet
James Mahone – tenor sax
Kenichi Shimazu - piano
Jeff Curry - bass
Mike Reznikoff – drums

This hard working group digs into the musical repertoire of Horace Silver with gusto. That might sound a bit retro except that Silver’s music is a, yes, Silver mine with plenty of precious value ready to be excavated. Stalnaker and friends get right to work, hauling out what Silver has always offered: juicy leads, exciting rhythms and lots of open space to jam.

Each song by this tight quintet was a joyous exploration. Stalnaker has assembled his musicians with a keen ear for people who like to interact with fun and solo with serious purpose. That balance made each song an intense group effort that could springboard the individual voices of each member. They lock down the tune as a quintet then open up it up wide for statements one by one.

Songs like “Christmas Cake and “Juicy Lucy” have a timeless pleasure to them that is easygoing in its appeal but tricky and nuanced to play. Other tunes like “Nica’s Dream” were tight, graceful numbers, with tensile strength. Most songs were taken at a quick tempo, which is not easy considering all of Silver’s chord changes. Silver’s work, though, was never about macho bop technique; he places great subtlety and deep emotion in his songs. “Gregory Is Here” was optimistic and lovely, with the well-known “Peace” played as a musical gem. As leader, Stalnaker chose the set list not just for variety, but for emotional delicacy, too.

The solos from everyone were engaging and cool, and played off each other well. Mahone on sax was laid back but deep into the flow of the melodies. Reznikoff took off on amazing solos at the end of each set, astounding the other members cheering him on. Shimazu and Curry set everything in motion with a really fine interplay that locked everything in place. They formed a rich pool of spot-on shifts and driving energy that fed everyone, and fed them well.

Stalnaker’s solos start with thought, but end in passion. He winds up slowly, then lets it fly. His feeling for the music, which really comes out on his solos, is contagious. As a trumpeter, Stalnaker might seem an unlikely devotee of pianist Silver, but the rich complexity and diverse cool of his band’s take on the music is easy to sink into. He has an exceptionally fine band here with a splendid project of digging Silver’s music and making great live jazz.