Mabern Plays Coltrane Harold Mabern

• 1 Dahomey Dance 07:13
• 2 Blue Train 10:42
• 3 Impressions 09:41
• 4 Dear Lord 05:36
• 5 My Favorite Things 11:47
• 6 Naima 09:09
• 7 Straight Street 10:51
• Total Runtime 01:04:59

Info for Mabern Plays Coltrane

"Mabern Plays Coltrane" ist eine pulsierende Live-Aufnahme des verstorbenen großen Harold Mabern, der die Musik von John Coltrane mit einem All-Star-Sextett mit Eric Alexander, Vincent Herring, Steve Davis, John Webber und Joe Farnsworth spielt.

Harold hegte eine besondere Verehrung für John Coltrane. "Er war sehr einflussreich in meinem Leben und auch in meinem Spiel", sagte er einmal. "Nachdem ich in seiner Nähe war und gesehen habe, was für ein großartiger Mensch er war - Mann, ich wünschte, die ganze Welt hätte John Coltrane kennenlernen können."

Mabern Plays Coltrane ist das Ergebnis der letzten drei Nächte einer dreiwöchigen Residency bei Smoke's jährlichem John Coltrane Festival, das 2017 begann und mit diesen Auftritten endete, die Mabern und die Band im Januar 2018 spielten. Die daraus resultierenden Aufnahmen führten auch zu zwei früheren Alben: The Iron Man, das ein Schlaglicht auf den Interpreten und Interpreten Mabern wirft und einen Einblick in eine typische Abendvorstellung bietet, und Mabern Plays Mabern, das Maberns Gaben als Komponist würdigt und auf seinen frühen Tod im Alter von 83 Jahren am 17. September 2019 folgt. Mabern Plays Coltrane ist das Album, das ursprünglich für diese Live-Aufnahme-Sessions geplant war. Mabern hatte seit der ersten Ausgabe des Festivals im Jahr 2011 immer eine Schlüsselrolle gespielt. Von der ersten einwöchigen Ausgabe bis zu den späteren drei- und vierwöchigen Ausgaben war Mabern während eines Großteils der jährlichen Veranstaltung der Headliner, was sowohl seine Wertschätzung für Coltrane als Vorfahr und Mentor als auch seine eigene wichtige Rolle bei Smoke verdeutlicht.

"Die Musik von John Coltrane mit Harold zu spielen, war wie das Anzapfen der Quelle", sagt Farnsworth. "Er war wie ein Wirbel, und alles floss durch ihn. Es war intensiv. Wenn man bedenkt, wie sehr Harold John Coltrane liebte, hat das den Geist der Musik um das Zehnfache gesteigert."

Harold Mabern, Klavier
Eric Alexander, Tenorsaxophon
John Webber, Kontrabass
Joe Farnsworth, Schlagzeug
Steve Davis, Posaune
Vincent Herring, Saxophon

Harold Mabern
one of jazz’s most enduring and dazzlingly skilled pianists, was born in Memphis, a city that produced saxophonists George Coleman and Charles Lloyd, pianist Phineas Newborn Jr. and trumpeter Booker Little. He was an unsung hero of the 1960s hardbop scene, performing and recording with many of its finest artists, and only in recent years has he begun to garner appreciation for his long-running legacy in jazz and the understated power of his talent; as critic Gary Giddins has written, “With the wind at his back, he can sound like an ocean roar.”

During his over half-century on the scene as sideman and leader, he has played and recorded with such greats as Lee Morgan, Sonny Rollins, Hank Mobley, Freddie Hubbard and Miles Davis, just to name a few. “I was never concerned with being a leader, I just always wanted to be the best sideman I could be. Be in the background so you can shine through.”

Mabern explains a little about his background and its influence on his music – “There were some fine jazz musicians in Memphis, like Phineas Newborn, Jr., who I’ve always said was a musical genius. But if you wanted to make a living as a jazz musician in Memphis, you were also forced to play rhythm and blues music. At the time, we all thought it was taking away from our time with jazz. But now I realize what a joy it was. It takes a special kind of feel that all great improvisers like Charlie Parker and Clifford Brown understood. In fact, I think of myself as a bluespianist who understands jazz.” “Every day, even when I’m not practicing, I’m thinking about music. Most of the songs I’ve ever written are away from the piano while I’m walking down the street humming and whistling.”

The music was challenging. He’d just start playing. He’d say “Mabern, play this with me.” Now, if he had a specific thing he wanted me to play, like say maybe he wanted me to play a figure with him in unison, ok, and I’d pick it right up because of the fact that I’m self taught, always had to use my ears anyway… Then there’d be times when he’d say, “Mabern, you play this with me,” and it might be the harmony part to what he’s playing…whatever way, it was always a challenge. He always said, “Mabern, you’re a bad cat.” And I’d say, “Oh, I’m just trying to keep up with you.”

Between 1968-70, Mabern led four albums for Prestige, the first being A Few Miles From Memphis with a lineup that featured two saxophonists, one of them fellow Memphis native George Coleman. As the 1970s began, Harold Mabern became a key member of Lee Morgan’s working group and appeared on several live and studio recordings made by the trumpeter before his death in 1972.

In 1971, he played on Stanley Turrentine’s The Sugar Man and Don’t Mess With Mr. T. album in 1973. In 1972 he recorded with Stanley Cowell’s Piano Choir.

In more recent years, he has toured and recorded extensively with his former William Paterson University student, the tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander. To date, Mabern and Alexander have appeared on over twenty CDs together. A longtime faculty member at William Paterson University since 1981, Mabern is also a frequent instructor at the Stanford Jazz Workshop.

Harold Mabern has recorded as a leader for DIW/Columbia and Sackville and toured with the Contemporary Piano Ensemble (1993-1995).

This album contains no booklet.