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JIM
SELF is one
of the busiest jazz musicians in Los Angeles. Besides being a
prolific recording artist, the tuba master is also an in-demand
studio musician. He has worked for all the major Hollywood studios
since 1974, performing in over 1500 motion pictures and hundreds of
television shows and records. A favorite of John Williams, Self’s
solos have been featured on Williams’ scores to Jurassic Park,
Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, and Hook.
He was also the “Voice of the Mothership” in Spielberg’s Close
Encounters of the Third Kind.
Self
is now releasing TOUCH AND GO, his 21st album. It
follows MY AMERICA 2: Destinations (2023), about
which JW Vibe said, “Perhaps a listen or two to the wondrous
songs, dynamic mashups and fresh, hipster, sometimes rockin’, often
lush and frequently swinging arrangements will serve as a reminder of
our common goals and heritage and love for timeless American music.”
On
this latest release, Self once again teams up with guitarist JOHN
CHIODINI. The two masters have produced three duo jazz albums
together and another with the David Angel Jazz Ensemble. Like Self,
Chiodini has an extensive resume. Besides his many movie and TV
credits, he was a member of the Boston Pops Orchestra under Arthur
Fiedler and performed and recorded with a Who’s Who of top jazz
artists like Peggy Lee, Buddy DeFranco, Maynard Ferguson, Carl
Andersen, Louis Bellson, and Tony Bennett, to name just a few. Each
of Self’s recordings have featured different kinds of bands, usually
either classical or jazz. For TOUCH AND GO, The Jim
Self & John Chiodini Quintet also includes top Los Angeles
musicians, including RON STOUT (trumpet), KEN WILD
(bass), and KENDALL KAY (drums). Self says, “When Chiodini and
I talked about who we wanted for this quintet recording, we chose
Ron, Ken and Kendall because of their great jazz playing, impeccable
time and (most of all) for their cooperative and friendly manner.”
Like
many of Self’s song and CD titles, he took the title TOUCH AND
GO from his 30+ years as a small plane pilot. It is a term
that pilots use for practicing take offs and landings where, after
touching down, you immediately take off and “go around” the pattern
again.
As
always, Self and Chiodini chose songs they knew would work well for a
quintet. They enjoy the collaborative aspect of playing jazz, and all
the players contributed suggestions, arrangements, or compositions to
the project. Self and Chiodini also wrote two originals each.
The
album opens with the title tune, “Touch And Go,” written by Self. It
is an exciting, high-energy tune with a 3/4-6/8 hemiola groove. The
melody is played on the trumpet and Fluba, which is a tuba-sized
flugelhorn invented by Self. Lou Rovner wrote a clever arrangement
for Fats Waller’s “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” The quirky arrangement
features 7/4 bars and quotes from “Tiptoe Through the Tulips.”
Stout
wrote the 8th note/quasi-Latin arrangement for Benny Carter’s “Only
Trust Your Heart.” It features an intimate trio setting with tuba,
flugelhorn, and guitar. Chiodini wrote “Amber.” The tune is
given a post-bop treatment with a funky blues feel and showcases
Chiodini’s dense, altered dominant chords.
Self
has recorded other Clare Fischer tunes, and “Ornathardy” had
been on his bucket list to record for many years. He finally
found the perfect band to record it. Self had often worked with
Fischer in the studios and knew he was famous for his complicated
jazz writing. Trombonist Joey Sellers, who is also a jazz writer of
complicated music, arranged the tune and created a very cool loping
jazz waltz version with interesting counter melodies.
Wild
wrote a swinging samba arrangement for J.J. Johnson’s “Lament.”
The tune has special resonance for Self, who toured Japan
with Mel Torme and the Marty Paich Decktette in 1989.
Self relates, “The opening act was the J.J. Johnson
Quintet followed by the Ray Brown Trio. It is my
understanding that, on the day of the final concert in Tokyo, J.J.’s
wife had just died back in the U.S. He came out and played a
beautiful solo trombone ballad version of “Lament” in her
memory. It was a very heartfelt and poignant moment.”
Stout
suggested “Susanne” by drummer Kevin Tullius, played as a
duo with Self and Chiodini. Self says, “John is the perfect
accompanist for me. He always knows how to make me sound good. It’s
no wonder so many great vocalists have chosen him for their records.”
“Prolepsis” was written by David Angel and arranged by Joey
Sellers. A dear friend of Self and Chiodini, they love Angel’s
contrapuntal writing and wanted to record one of his originals with
this quintet. “Prolepisis,” which is Greek and means knowing
something is going to happen before it does, has a kind of “Night in
Tunisia” format with a Latin A section and swing
bridge.
“Triangles,”
another Self composition, is a medium jazz waltz inspired by a
composition he recorded on his Basset Hound Blues album.
Self wrote a stretto-like repeat of the head for Stout and himself.
Chiodini says, “It has a great 3/4 feel. Jim’s writing is a
lesson in composition--melodic lines, counterpoint, and fugues.
Hearing it in the context of a jazz waltz is wonderful. And it is
being played so effortlessly by Jim and Ron.”
Benny
Golson’s “Whisper Not” is another tune arranged by Joey Sellers.
Although most everyone plays it fast, the band plays this
well-travelled song in a relaxed manner. Chiodini’s “Restless” is a
laid-back slow blues with the feel of a smoky Noir dive bar back in
the 1940s. Chiodini’s complicated “guitar-esque” chords with the
chorus effect create a “spacey” feeling. The band closes the album
with “Dig” by Miles Davis. A bebop jazz standard, tuba and bass
play the head in unison with drums in the first half, with the
trumpet and guitar added in the second half.
And,
of course, all Basset Hound Records end with Stanley the Basset
Hound’s mournful howls.
The
tuba is most often used in concert by brass and military bands.
However, Self elevates the instrument by playing it with great
sensitivity and soulfulness. But as the swinging, hip arrangements
and original writing on TOUCH AND GO so deftly
demonstrate, this entire band - Self, Chiodini, Stout, Wild, and Kay
- are all masters of their instruments.
# # #
TOUCH
AND GO is
set for release on October 6, 2023 and will be available everywhere.
Online:
Bassethoundmusic.com
Facebook.com/JimSelfMusic
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Topic: Jazz Tuba Master JIM SELF & Guitarist JOHN CHIODIN
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