js Anthony E. Nelson Jr. is a powerhouse tenor sax player who usually records contemporary hard bop with a gospel influence. On his latest album, “Swinging Sunset”, he delves into the music of his youth and pays tribute to the classic Hammond B3 trios on the east coast in the 50s and 60s. B3 jazz has been making a big comeback lately, often with contemporary RnB and funk influences, but for this very special outing, Nelson and his crew purposefully leave out anything modern sounding and go for that classic retro sound that used to be popular in lounges in Harlem and big cities in nearby New Jersey. The Hammond trio is very much an urban east coast thing as it never really caught on with west coast bands who were more into bongos, flutes, French horns and the occasional sitar. Classic B3 jazz is very much a no-nonsense blue collar thing that was made for people who wanted to party, not just sit and listen.

The 50s-60s tenor players were channeling the old swing players like Coleman Hawkins with a more melodic approach than the bebop and post bop players, although the bop influence is often there too. For this album, Nelson’s main inspiration is the very soulful and bluesy Gene Ammons, one of the kings of classic tenor playing in a B3 trio setting. Anthony’s band mates on here include organist Kyle Koehler who does a great job of using the sounds and organ stops of that era and drummer Cecil Brooks III, who usually plays with the more ‘outside’ crowd, but keeps it straight with the retro style for this one.

“Swinging Sunset” has a nice balance of tunes ranging from ballads, to mid-tempo blues and a couple blazing fast boppers too. One highlight is a high speed reading of Johnny Griffin’s oddly titled, “Mildew”. Stanley Turpentine’s “Minor Chant” has an unstoppable soul jazz groove and Nelson displays his gospel roots with a bluesy reading of the traditional, “Walk With Me”. One extra feature of this album is Anthony’s very thoughtful liner notes in which he goes into great detail about all the great tenor players he heard at the clubs when he was young. He includes a very long list of great musicians who you may have never heard of before, but who were all great players all the same. Its nice that someone has taken the time to preserve their legacy.

One salient statement from Nelson’s notes that stands out as he describes the nature of this music is, “Groove was never sacrificed for complexity, yet was proven by means of every foot tapping head bopping to standing and seated dancing.”

js If you are looking for that no-nonsense hard bop sound, then you have come to the right place. On “Swift to Hear, Slow to Speak”, Anthony E. Nelson Jr and his crew of five side men deliver ten original jazz tunes played with imagination and a lot of soul. Most would categorize this in the hard bop file, but this is hard bop of the more abstract style along the lines of latter day Art Blakey, or early Herbie Hancock. The Hancock comparison is furthered by pianist Brandon McClure, whose mixture of sophisticated blues and impressionism definitely recalls the young Herbie. Nelson’s main influence would seem to be Coltrane, as his sound is reminiscent, and he is also apt to pepper his solos with Coltrane quotes, along with re-arranged quotes from others as well. Being the top soloists on board, Nelson and McClure handle the lion’s share of the solos, but some tunes allow the others a ride as well.

With three horns on board, Nelson is able to add interest to his opening melodies by arranging in a mini-big band style. Tracks like, “Never too Late”, allow the horns to engage in some contrapuntal intersecting lines, while “Blessed are Those that Mourn”, uses the horns to paint pastel colors ala Herbie’s “Speak like a Child” album. Possibly the biggest plus on here is the fact that all of this music is original, and many of the tunes measure up well against better known standards. Any musician looking for a possible ‘new standard’ on this CD should check out “I’ll be a Fool”, which sports an infectious be-bop like melody that is hard to get out of your head.

A quick glance at the song titles will tell you that Nelson is heavily influenced by his Christian faith and seeks to use his music to worship God. Anthony calls his music “gospel jazz”, and although almost all hard bop has a bit of gospel to it, the only overt gospel number on here is closing ballad, “More than Rubies”. Anyone who does not want their jazz watered down with artificial sweetener, or passing trends, will want to check out “Swift to Hear, Slow to Speak”, not only can these guys play, but they can also compose and arrange with the best of them.