I missed this album when it came out last year, but I want you to know about it now in case you missed it, too. Alvin Queen is a superb drummer with a beautiful, sentimental touch on sticks and brushes. Born in the Bronx, Queen lived in Canada in the 1970s and then relocated to Switzerland in 1979, where he created the Nilva record label, an anagram of his first name. On his most recent album, Night Train to Copenhagen (Stunt), Queen's trio—Swedish pianist Calle Brickman and Danish bassist Tobias Dall—channel the music and feel of the Oscar Peterson Trio with great alacrity.
Recorded a year ago in Denmark, the Alvin Queen Trio takes on Have You Met Miss Jones, Bags' Groove, I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good), Farewell Song, Quiet Nights, Days of Wine and Roses, Goodbye J.D., Tranquility in the Woods, D&E, Georgia on My Mind, Night Train, C Jam Blues, People, Moten Swing and
Some Other Time.
The challenge with any album that pays tribute to the catalog and sound of a legendary jazz artist is how far do you go with style emulation. Ignore the artist's songs and signature style and you leave listeners puzzled. Mirror the sound as closely as possible and you'll wind up dismissed by listeners who find your interpretations inferior to the real deal. The key is to tastefully hint and pay tribute but not attempt a counterfeit.
The Alvin Queen Trio manages to walk that fine line in between, capturing the Oscar Peterson Trio's elegance and thick swing without delivering a fawning, wax museum duplicate. On the new album, The three musicians shine as themselves, but with the flavor Peterson's piano, Ray Brown's bass and Ed Thigpen's drums. In this regard, Brickman shoulders Peterson's keyboard, delivering the essence of the pianist without the splashy flash or hallmark bombast. Dall's bass is big and woody, like Brown's, but singularly Dall's. And Queen's drums are provocative, with snare shots and cymbal sizzles fired here and there to keep everyone on their toes. But Queen is his own man, with a chic, deliberate approach. [Photo above of the Alvin Queen Trio, from left, Tobias Dall, Alvin Queen and Calle Brickman.
If you have no idea who Oscar Peterson is, you'll find this album thoroughly enjoyable and motivating to explore Peterson's album catalog. If you already are familiar with the Peterson Trio, as most readers will be, you'll love this album precisely because it isn't bending over backward to recreate their sound. Instead, it's more of an impersonation and a poetic ode.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find the Alvin Queen Trio's Night Train to Copenhagen (Stunt) here and here.
JazzWax clips: Here's Have You Met Miss Jones...
And here's People...
