Gerry Mulligan don't do that either, I like the baritone players that have a deep husky tone.
Pepper Adams, Ronnie Cuber, and the subject of this review Nick Brignola (1936-2002) are what I have in mind.
This album, On a Different Level from 1989, at the risk of hyperbole, kicks ass!
I found this CD at a local Dayton Ohio Goodwill for $1.99 and let me tell you it was forth 10 times the price.
A typical straight ahead pop date in material, but not so typical is the high-quality playing from Brignola and his rhythm section.
Oh yeah ever heard of these guys: Dave Holland on Bass, Jack Dejohnette on drums and Kenny Barron on piano, yeah pretty damn good huh... they and Brignola offer one of the best bari showcase albums I ever heard period.
Standards like "Hot House", "Duke Ellington's Sound of Love", "Sophisticated Lady"and "Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise" are darned near definitive readings in my mind.
It's only been 6 months since I discovered Brignola and this album, but I have returned to it at least 10 times, and the album truly is a special one for those who like expertly played traditional Bop jazz. If you are a fan of the baritone, and Brignola isn't on your radar, he should be now.
Brignola never seems to run out of ideas, and his husky tone dances along the rhythms like a John Coltrane on soprano. The production is clean and crisp, quite simply a perfect jazz record. On Different level is an audacious title and absolutely true.
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