Alto saxophonist Greg Abate has been around. In addition to recording since 1980, Greg has won the admiration of leading players, from Herb Pomeroy and Rufus Reid to Kenny Barron and Phil Woods. He's one of the smoothest players, with a honey-coated tone and Parkerian speed and bluesy soul.
The new album, Positive Energy (Summit), showcases Greg at his very best. The moment you put on the recording, you can't take it off. His sound is that seductive. His quartet features Greg Abate (as), John Rangel (p), Terry Burns (b) and David Post (d). [Photo above of Greg Abate]
Greg is a bopper at heart and blows long, clean solos that are lyrical and peppered with tags of other songs. John on the piano is a driving force, with Terry's bass swinging away and David on drums keeping the cauldron bubbling. [Photo above of John Rangel]
The tracks:
- Positive Energy (Greg Abate)
- Monkism (John Rangel)
- Lookin' Ahead (Abate)
- Hazy Moon (Abate)
- Song for My Brother (Abate)
- Little Bird (Rangel)
- Growing All the Time (Rangel)
- J.A.G. (Abate)
- Easy Living (Ralph Rainger/Leo Robin)
- Giving Flight to Imagination (Rangel)
- Deep Seated Reality (Abate)
As Phil Woods wrote in the liner notes of The Greg Abate Quintet, Featuring Phil Woods (Rhombus), which I posted about in 2012, "I sleep a lot better knowing there are alto players like Greg! It was a joy to make music with him, and he writes good songs that are challenging."
Greg is all that and more.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find the Greg Abate Quartet's Positive Energy (Summit) here.
JazzWax clips: Here's Growing All the Time...
And here's Positive Energy...
