Pete
Petersen & the Porkpie Septet CD Release
Keep Your Hat On
Oh, that creamy, dreamy music to sigh by, where did it all
go: Hold on to your hats, ladies and gents because that music all
ran and hid in the new CD release, Keep Your Hat On, by Pete
Petersen and the Porkpie Septet.
This CD opens with a (Charlie) Parkeresque boogie, Keep
Your Hat On, that is quick, smooth and mellow! It’s wonderful.
All of these tunes are beautifully arranged, with the closed
chords using jazz-oriented alternates. What’s on paper is only the
beginning of a tune. First, you have to find people who actually
want to perform this music in this style. Then you
have to find the ones whose technique and experience support this
ability on their instrument. Sometimes the soul is willing but the
flesh is weak. Then treat them real nice.
The opening cut, Keep Your Hat On (for which the CD
is named), composed by Petersen, is a fun and authentic demonstration
of how many instruments can blend together so well that they sound
like one.
Of the two tunes that Petersen did not compose, Uptown
Sop by Ray Brown is delightful. It features André St. James
talking to you on the bass.
Ordinarily, hearing certain music makes this writer want to
jump up and play, but a listen to the first number on this CD makes
one want to go home and practice some more…a LOT more!
Number six, La Tentación, is a Latin-style tune that
articulates the Latin beat with grace and humor. All the tunes, while
serious as quicksand, impart warmth and humor resulting in a shared
intimacy with the listener. It’s like you are saying, “Yes, yes.
That’s right. Mmm Hmm.”
It’s tempting to list and describe all the tunes but that
would not do any of them justice. You have to buy the CD and see
the band in person to prove to yourself that it really is them.
Pete Petersen plays tenor and baritone sax (wait for it!);
Bryan Dickerson plays alto sax; Greg Garrett plays trumpet and flugelhorn;
Ben Medler is on trombone; Brian Ward on piano; Andre St. James is
on bass; with Ed Pierce and Donny Osborne splitting up the numbers
on drums.
Keep Your Hat On is produced by Stan Bock, Pete Petersen and Four
Flavors Music. Visit the website at www.petepetersen.com. The label
is PonyBoy Records, www.ponyboyrecords.com. If you listen to any
samples on the web pages, you will become hungry for the whole dish.
This writer enjoyed the CD immensely, and will likely keep
it handy, especially for the times when even the soul is weak.
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