The dueling titles of this fine recording of
classic jazz
are a good deal more cumbersome than the lyrics of any song co-written with
Sammy Fain
. That would have to be the only aspect of this 1980 tribute that doesn't live up to its inspiration, a prolific and memorable tunesmith whose induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame took place a bit less than a decade before this was recorded. Having warmed up their chops on similar projects such as a multi-volume homage to pianist, composer, and
Duke Ellington
collaborator
Billy Strayhorn
, second-generation swinger
Harry Allen, Jr.
and British pianist
Keith Ingham
hold forth on no less than 17
Fain
strains.
John Pizzarelli
is the superb guitarist, harmonizing with
Ingham
as if turning the key in a series of small treasure chests. Rounding out the rhythm section, drummer
Oliver Jackson
proves his affinity for both pianists and saxophonists while bassist
Dennis Irwin
counts his chord changes like tour revenue. The songs are given compact performances,
"Something I Dreamed Last Night"
suggesting that only a subject related to sleep would inspire this combo to head toward the five-minute mark on a recorded track.
's career began in Hong Kong, where
Tin Pan Alley
standards
such as the deceptively amorous
"Secret Love"
and the darkly gentle
"Tender Is the Night"
were no doubt standard fodder in piano lounges. The saxophonist, son of
big-band
drummer
Harry Allen, Sr.
, plays the melodies of this program as if familiar with the words, all of them, even the ludicrous
"A High Hat, a Piccolo and a Cane"
-- perhaps following the advice of one of the great instrumentalists, tenor saxophonist
Lester Young
. ~ Eugene Chadbourne