CD in 8-panel digipak with a liner notes by Ted Panken and original photography by Jimmy and Dena Katz. Also includes digital download of entire album.
Includes unlimited streaming of Mabern Plays Mabern
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
"Straight ahead jazz is rarely, if ever, better than this."
-- Jim Hynes, Glide Magazine
"The music swings hard—when Mabern took any bandstand, you expected nothing less."
-- Steve Futterman, The New Yorker
"The band is on fire in the kind of blowing set that never goes out of fashion."
-- Simon Adams, Jazz Journal
"As hard as it may be to realize that Harold Mabern is no longer walking—and playing—among us, there’s a good chance that the late pianist would be content knowing this live set will serve as a document of his life...not a moment is wasted."
-- Mike Shanley, JazzTimes
#1 JazzWeek radio chart (2 weeks)
***
The release of Harold Mabern’s MABERN PLAYS MABERN was the source of a mixture of pride and sorrow. Pride because Mabern’s 27th recording as a leader, culled from the same three January 2018 nights that generated his 26th, THE IRON MAN: LIVE AT SMOKE documents the master pianist, then 81, in prime form, functioning as an inspired soloist, attentive accompanist, melodic interpreter, and crafty tunesmith. Sorrow because the release is posthumous — Harold Mabern died on September 17, 2019, at the age of 83.
For this engagement, Mabern convened long-standing bandmates Eric Alexander on tenor saxophone, John Webber on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums, augmented by Smoke Sessions recording artists Steve Davis on trombone and Vincent Herring on alto saxophone. All members rise to the occasion on repertoire that spans 51 years of Mabern’s six decades as a recording artist, leader and sideman.
Indeed, the proceedings embody the qualities enumerated in a loving tribute by Charles Lloyd, Mabern’s bandmate at Manassas High School, in Memphis, Tennessee, at the cusp of the 1950s. Lloyd wrote: “Harold was a scholar of our history, insightful, hilarious, sincere, deep, with intense, boundless energy and inclusive with his warmth. Before they called him ‘Leading Man,’ his nickname was ‘Big Hands.’ With the broad reach of those hands, he caressed many beautiful chords. He was a storyteller and every note he played had a message.”
Another Manassas classmate, tenor saxophonist George Coleman expressed similar sentiments to "The New York Times" after Mabern’s death: “Harold was a complete musician,” Coleman observed. “He was always adventurous, and he was always swinging, keeping the crowd pleased.”
This recording is special as is obvious from the response of the paying customers who were at Smoke. Eric Alexander comments, “You’re hearing things that Harold wrote or enjoyed playing, This is the way Harold crystallized and refined his personal approach, the way he presented his music in front of people, night after night, which is the Harold Mabern that we adored the most. Of course, his studio recordings are great, but live, Harold threw caution to the wind. When he played live, it was magic.”
credits
released March 30, 2020
Vincent Herring - alto saxophone
Eric Alexander - tenor saxophone
Steve Davis - trombone
Harold Mabern - piano
John Webber - bass
Joe Farnsworth - drums
Recorded Live January 5, 6 & 7, 2018 at SMOKE Jazz and Supper Club, NYC
Produced by Paul Stache & Damon Smith
Recorded by Paul Stache with Owen Mulholland and Jeff Citron
Mixed & Mastered by Christopher Allen
Liner Notes by Ted Panken
Photography by Jimmy and Dena Katz
Design by Damon Smith & Paul Stache
Eric Alexander appears courtesy of High Note Records
Harold Mabern was a dazzlingly skilled pianist and a force of nature at the keyboard. NPR described him as "a pianist of
percussive fire and boundless soul, with a language that pulled from hard bop, post-bop, Memphis soul and the blues," For over half a century on the scene, he played and recorded with J.J. Johnson, Wes Montgomery, Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley, George Coleman. Miles Davis, and more....more
supported by 10 fans who also own “Mabern Plays Mabern”
A back and forth between meaningful narratives and casual conversations. Whatever it is it is expressed by well sounding and souvereign voices. freejazzy
supported by 10 fans who also own “Mabern Plays Mabern”
The perfect puzzle. The leaders are free to concentrate on their individual statements as well as on perfectly complementing each other. The rhythm group carries them to where they want to move in jazz heaven with verve and spirit. And yes, I enjoy following them. freejazzy
Remixed edition of the acclaimed jazz pianist and composer's "Precious Energy" LP, featuring Steve Spacek, Toshio Matsuura, and more. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 25, 2023