Live at Cafe Metropol

Recordings

Notes and Liner Notes

This is the group’s first live album. Different things happen during live performances than in the studio. Sometimes more chances are taken. There is a kind of devil-may-care freedom that prevails, a sense of stretching, searching, adventure and just plain having fun. That’s what the music on this recording displays. Not everything is perfect, but it has the true nature of great jazz. The tracks are somewhat long due to our stretching out Café Metropol is owned and operated in the Los Angeles downtown district by Rocco Somazzi. Rocco is a long-time supporter of jazz and has enjoyed presenting this music on his several establishments throughout many recent years.

The musicians:
John Daversa on trumpet. I’ve known John practically all his life, since I was on the road with the Stan Kenton Band with his father, trumpeter Jay Daversa. John is an excellent composer/arranger as well as performer on trumpet and EVI. He is a fearless improviser, as you will hear, and he has the potential for being be a major voice.
Joey Sellers, on trombone, returns to the group (he was on the group’s “Range” CD), and lends his special brand of improvisation and daring interpretations.
Rich Eames, piano, has been the group’s pianist for some time, and continues to contribute his artistry.
Brian Friedland, who plays piano on the earlier date, is a young improviser and composer who was once a student of mine at USC. He is now on the path of making a significant mark for himself in the jazz world.
Kristin Korb, bass, is a wonderful talent on bass and vocals and provides exceptional support and solo work here.
Erik Klass, drums, imparts sensitivity and drive along with inventiveness and creativity.

The Music:

1. You Don't Know What Love Is
   The horns and bass have a chance to stretch out on this standard. As we often do, we dedicated this tune to our friend Eve. This arrangement was recorded on our “Range” album, but this is an entirely different reading.
   
   
2. Invitation
   This was a spontaneous call: the group didn’t know what I was going to play. We had no arrangement and never rehearsed this, but we all knew this great standard and had fun playing it.
   
   
3. Seagate1
   This is an original with a lot of chord changes. It’s built on a practice pattern I had been working on. You’ll hear it.
   
   
4. Peacocks
   This beguiling ballad standard by pianist Jimmy Rowles features soprano saxophone melody at the beginning, but all the horn get a piece of it. John Daversa plays an outstanding trumpet solo.
   
   
5. FuzzyWuzzy
   A recent original owes its inspiration to Keith Jarrett’s “Shape of Jazz,” borrowing it’s main thematic motif. The solo changes are loosely based on “rhythm changes” bridge. Of course, the title refers to a children’s rhyme and expresses the lightness of the vibe.
   
   
6. Never Let Me Go Our favorite romantic ballad and one I play on nearly every live performance. It offers some interesting blowing changes too. This tune is the opening cut on my Ballad CD. Dedicated to Chris.
   
   
7. In Fine Line
   A wonderful Clay Jenkins composition has a difficult bass intro pattern, but Kristin executes it well and puts her own spin on it. The wacky melody has a great individuality and sets up the blowing situation of two different and separate tonal centers. This is fun to play and one can always stretch on this tune. It never comes out the same twice.

Produced by Kim Richmond
Recorded June 2, 2006, & March 24, 2007
Live at Café Metropol, Los Angeles
Recording Engineer: Tim Pinch
Mixing and Mastering: Talley Sherwood
Liner notes: Kim Richmond
Layout/design: John Bishop
Cover painting: “Nightscape” by Chris Zambon
Kim Richmond plays Selmer saxophones