A Recent Album Recorded at Yoshi’s

from the Bandcamp Web page

This past Sunday I wrote about my first encounter with Eastlawn Records. This is a Detroit-based blues and jazz label co-founded by percussionist RJ Spangler and pharmacist Frank Traum. This morning I encountered another Eastlawn release, whose full title (at least on its Bandcamp Web page) is Peck Allmond Quartet Live at Yoshi’s, ‘94 Featuring Ed Kelly.

As the title suggests, this is a recorded account of a performance at Yoshi’s in Oakland that took place on July 5, 1994. My wife and I did not make the move from Singapore to Palo Alto until about a year later; so, at the time this gig was recorded, we knew next to nothing about the Bay Area jazz scene. Furthermore, by way of a disclaimer, since we made that move in August of 1995, we have never attended a performance at either the Oakland Yoshi’s or the short-lived “cousin” in the Fillmore.

Thus, while I knew nothing about Allmond when this album was released, it did not take long for me to become aware of two members of his quartet. The first of these was drummer Bud Spangler (not to be confused with the Eastlawn founder), whom I quickly discovered on KCSM jazz programming. The other was bass player John Wiitala, who seemed almost always to handle the bass at any jazz concert presented under the auspices of Old First Concerts. Allmond himself was primarily a tenor saxophonist, although he shifted over to trumpet for two of the tracks on this album. The other member of his rhythm section was pianist Ed Kelly.

The concert also included a “guest appearance” by Kenny Brooks on tenor saxophone in a performance of Sigmund Romberg’s “Softly as in a Morning Sunrise.” (This was one of the two tracks on which Allmond played trumpet, the other being Chris Smith’s “Confessin’,” which became a favorite recording of both Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong.) The program also included two piano solos taken by Kelly, neither of which were originally conceived for piano. The first of these was John Coltrane’s “Moment’s Notice;” and the program closed out with a solo piano account of Miles Davis’ “All Blues.”

I would not be surprised if those that have been following my thoughts about jazz on this site would be quick to dismiss me as “old school.” While this may be true chronologically, I still find it hard to believe that anyone would call anything that Coltrane recorded for Impulse! Records as “old school,” not to mention the equally adventurous efforts of some of his contemporaries, such as Ornette Coleman or Cecil Taylor! The selections on this Yoshi’s album are certainly not out there on the “bleeding edge.” Nevertheless, there is no shortage of highly imaginative improvisation taken by all of the players; so I have no trouble stating categorically (and unabashedly) that this is jazz the way I like it.

Now that a recent high-rise has blocked my ability to receive KCSM in my San Francisco condominium, albums like this account of a Yoshi’s gig quickly become part of my regular jazz-listening practices.