Tucker Brothers MP3 Release to “Go Physical”

Cover of the album being discussed (courtesy of Jazz Promo Services)

These days it seems as if listening to music is a personal/individual experience, as opposed to the group experiences that we associate with concert halls and jazz clubs. Thus, when the Tucker Brothers, Joel and Nick, recorded a quartet gig that took place at the Chatterbox club in Indianapolis, the entire audio document appeared as an MP3 release, readily available for download to any convenient personal portable device, on an Amazon.com Web page this past November. Now, however, I have learned that Live at Chatterbox will be available as a “physical” album one week from today, on February 1. If all goes according plan, the Purchase Options pull-down menu on the aforementioned Web page will include a new link to an Amazon Web page for purchasing the CD version.

The Tucker Brothers are based in Indianapolis; and guitarist Joel is a graduate of Indiana University, known for its first-rate Jacobs School of Music. Brother Nick plays bass, and the other members of the Chatterbox quartet are Sean Imboden on tenor saxophone and drummer Carrington Clinton. Both brothers are composers contributing to the seven-track album.

Nick is responsible for a single track, “Mantra.” Joel, on the other hand, provides three: “Shakshuka,” “Away,” and “Rhythm Changed.” That leaves three “standards” tracks: Hoagy Carmichael’s “Skylark,” the classic “Caravan,” composed jointly by Juan Tizol and Duke Ellington, and “You and the Night and the Music” by Arthur Schwarz. As might be guessed, Joel serves up a fair share of elaborate improvisations (particularly in the 7/4 arrangement of “Skylark”). Nevertheless, there is a generous share of solo bass work, as well as expressive improvisations from both saxophone and drums.

Since my own (distant) past experience included playing alto saxophone, I have to confess that Imboden occupied a fair amount of my attention. Nevertheless, the entire gig is definitely a satisfying listening experience. I hope that next week’s “physical” release will draw more listeners to this “live” account of jazz improvisations.