The Way You Look Tonight

Album Review

North Star Jazz Ensemble, as much as any inhabitant of their stable, epitomize the jazz philosophy of New England's North Star label. Get a bevy of good musicians in a studio, give them a play list of familiar standards that are tastefully arranged, and then let them express themselves, with special emphasis on the melody and chord structure which elevated these songs into the standard category in the first place. This does not mean the session is limited to mere recitation of the melody. There is plenty of room for improvisation — hear Artie Montanaro's enterprising wending trombone on "The Way You Look Tonight." But the extemporization is not so far out as to dissociate it from the basic melody, losing many of the listeners in the process. The members of the ensemble, put together for this recording session, are all well-respected New England musicians. Guitarist Gray Sargent works with Tony Bennett, mouth organ player Mike Turk has been with Donna Byrne and Paul Broadnax, and horn player Jeff Stout with Gary Burton. Each member of the octet gets a chance to display their considerable individual talent. Mike Turk's harmonica takes the spotlight on "I'm Old Fashioned." Bruce Abbott's tenor on "My One and Only Love" recalls John Coltrane's solo on that seminal album with Johnny Hartman. This album is filled with exquisite playing of great American romantic ballads by jazz musicians of the highest caliber. It reminds one just how well this music can sound if played in a forthright, elegant manner without the artifices found on too many CDs. Recommended.