Sooner or later when discussing contemporary jazz recordings of note, the sons of Philadelphia’s William and Vera Eubanks inevitably get mentioned. Trombonist Robin and guitarist/former Tonight Show bandleader Kevin have made some strong records that have come up on this space. Son #3, Duane, has lent his trumpet to his older brothers’ recordings (including Kevin’s excellent last release The Messenger) and has also appeared on some fine albums by Dave Holland, Mulgrew Miller, Oliver Lake and Jeff Williams. The youngest Eubanks has also led his own dates, starting with My Shining Hour in 1999, but for more than a decade he’s been strictly a sideman (most notably in the bands of Miller, Holland and Williams) until a little prodding by his father and wife finally got the ball rolling for a new album.
Things of That Particular Nature is due out January 20, 2015 via Sunnyside Records, and since Duane Eubanks never stopped composing, this collection of mostly originals shows no rust.
It also didn’t hurt that Eubanks constructed a quintet with which he was completely comfortable, all of whom were mentored by the Jazz Greats and have become rather great themselves: pianist Marc Cary, saxophonist Abraham Burton, drummer Eric McPherson and bassist Dezron Douglas. They hit the ground running with “Purple, Blue and Red,” initially a ballad with the same melody recast as a crisp, swinging number where Cary in particular shines for his piano solo. “As Is” is another hard bop swinger, anchored by Douglas’ walking bass and Duane Eubanks’ trumpet is Goldilocks right, not too hot nor too cold.
Cary moves over to the Rhodes for “Rosey,” giving the song a fusion soul feel, but the song actually revolves around Douglas’ succulent bass lines. Douglas along with McPherson devise a contemporary funk strut for “Dance With Aleta,” where Burton’s tenor is funky and soulful right along with the rhythm section, while Eubanks offers up a smooth alternative on his turn. McPherson is also the main protagonist behind “Slew Footed,” which has a stronger improv feel to it than the other tunes due the drummer shifting around the tempo.
Duane Eubanks pays homage to his recently deceased mentor Miller by covering Mulgrew’s song “Holding Hands.” For this track (and also the blues-soaked, nocturnal “Aborted Dreams”) Eubanks’ old Dave Holland Big Band mate Steve Nelson makes the quintet a sextet. Nelson’s vibes appears all alone at the start of this performance, and gets showcased again as the song unfolds as a glowing waltz. Cary’s own solo on piano exquisitely conjures up the ghost of the absent Miller.
Duane Eubanks took his time before making a record again, but since Things of That Particular Nature wasn’t rushed, he was able to put it together with the right songs and the right personnel. That makes this release a very solid hard bop outing.
Visit Duane Eubanks’ website for more info.
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