New Album Review for Carlos Abadie by NYC JAZZ RECORD!
The Artist
NYC Jazz Record May 2012 by Alex Henderson
Carlos Abadie is not a newcomer to the New York City jazz scene; the Jersey City native has been playing jazz here since the ‘90s. But Immersed in the Quest, Vol. 1 is the trumpeter’s first album as a leader, a 2010 recording of his working quintet with tenor saxophonist Joe Sucato, pianist Jonathan Lefcoski, bassist Jason Stewart and drummer Luca Santaniello. The disc owes much to the hardbop of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and the hard-swinging Blue Note dates of the late ‘50s and, as a trumpeter, Abadie favors a big, fat, full-bodied tone along the lines of Clifford Brown and his heirs like Donald Byrd, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan and Woody Shaw.
But while it is far from generic. What prevents this is Abadie’s wisdom in offering surprises when it comes to material. There aren’t a lot of originals, only his own “People on the Hill” and Sucato’s “Action Jackson” (which stay consistent with the overall Jazz Messengers aesthetic). But else where he turns his attention to a lot of worthy material that hasn’t been beaten to death, including Hubbard’s “Hub’s Nub”, Duke Pearson’s “Each Time I Think of You”, Kenny Dorham’s “La Mesha” and the Horace Silver pieces “Metamorphosis” and “Pyramid”. Abadie also unearths the ballad “Funny (Not Much)”, which was a medium-sized hit for Nat King Cole in 1952 and is mostly recorded by vocalists, turning it into a good vehicle for his lyrical playing. The title indicates a planned sequel; if this enjoyable disc is any indication, straight ahead jazz fans should look forward to that and future albums.
See Upcoming shows at Small Jazz Club NYC 5.17 and 5.31. Fat Cat NYC 5.12.12