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| 1. | Work to Do
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| 2. | Speak to My Heart
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| 3. | For Garrison (Both)
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| 4. | Giving Thanks
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| 5. | What's Going On
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| 6. | Eleanor Rigby
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| 7. | With You I'm Born Again
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| 8. | Grahamstown
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| 9. | A Time for Love
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| 10. | Relativity
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Jazz
Carl Allen - Drums, Producer
Rodney Whitaker - Bass (Electric), Bass, Producer
Al Pryor Producer
Brandon Lee Trumpet
Casey Conroy Creative Director
Dorsey Robinson Organ (Hammond), Piano
George Colligan Fender Rhodes, Piano
James Farber Mixing, Engineer
Justin Gerrish Mixing Assistant
Kirk Whalum Sax (Tenor), Sax (Soprano)
Maria Ehrenreich Director of Creative Services
Mitchell Haddad Photography
Raj Naik Art Direction, Design
Steve Fallone Mastering
Vincent Chandler Trombone
Vincent Herring Sax (Alto), Sax (Soprano)
Will Wakefield Production Coordination
Along with Carl Allen and Rodney Whitaker, Work To Do features a stellar cast of musicians: Vincent Chandler - trombone; George Colligan - piano and Fender Rhodes; Vincent Herring - alto and soprano saxophone; Rodney Jones - acoustic and electric guitar; Brandon Lee - trumpet; Dorsey “Rob” Robinson - B3 organ and piano; and Kirk Whalum - tenor and soprano saxophone
With its combination of classic RB, soul, jazz, pop, gospel and straight ahead styles, drummer Carl Allen and bassist Rodney Whitaker's new CD, Work To Do, can be considered a rallying cry of sorts. This is their sophomore release on Mack Avenue Records and it comes to life as we all enter a new era filled with hope, pride and ambition. Certainly the universal appeal of the material and music on Work To Do reflects all of these qualities. From the bustling, industrious title track, to the contemplative melancholy of Speak To My Heart, to the optimistic groove of the classic What's Going On, this dynamic duo takes heart, soul and tempo to another joyful level. brbrFeaturing a stellar cast of musicians: Vincent Chandler trombone; George Colligan piano and Fender Rhodes; Vincent Herring alto and soprano saxophone; Rodney Jones acoustic and electric guitar; Brandon Lee trumpet; Dorsey Rob Robinson B3 organ and piano; and Kirk Whalum tenor and soprano saxophone.
Bassist Rodney Whitaker and drummer Carl Allen toyed with the idea of plopping R&B pop tunes within a modern mainstream jazz framework on their previous Mack Avenue album Get Ready, and do it again here on Work to Do, the title track borrowed from the repertoire of the Isley Brothers. Their set list is expanded beyond Motown and Philly soul to include standards, post-bop originals, a tune from the Beatles, and personalized tributes to friends, family members, and influences. The band is also bigger, featuring saxophonists Kirk Whalum or Vincent Herring at one time or another, their regular pianist the excellent George Colligan, trumpeter Brandon Lee, up-and-coming Detroit trombonist Vincent Chandler, and especially the multi-faceted guitar veteran Rodney Jones. Whitaker and Allen are true team members and musical soulmates, their vision of what jazz can be in contemporary times firmly established, and their quest to also make new music impressive enough to stand alone apart from the cover tunes. Allen and Whitaker are, first and foremost, modern boppers as evidenced on the sax and brass front line during "For Garrison (Both)," an Art Blakey/Jazz Messengers with a Curtis Fuller-type tribute to bassist Jimmy Garrison and his son Matthew, or "Grahamstown," a modal piece, potentially a new standard, filled with Colligan's marvelously conceived chord structures urging the band and especially Vincent Herring's Bobby Watson-styled alto saxophone onward. "Relativity" is perhaps the most hip, youth oriented track with its lively clockwork beat, deeply soulful organ courtesy of Dorsey Robinson, and Herring's more personalized sound. Of the tunes taken from the pop charts, the title track mixes bossa and bop changing up back and forth, Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On?" has the kind of funky groove, inquisitive horn inserts, probing organ, and lead guitar melody from Jones, suggesting not only Whitaker's Detroit roots, but the band's love for post-bop combos like that of Woody Shaw. "Eleanor Rigby" is not an afterthought, but an intriguing, well planned, and complex piece in a 5/4 time signature accented by mixed meters, fronted by Lee's lead trumpet melody. Also included for contrast is "With You I'm Born Again," in somber reverent overtones for sure via Whitaker's bowed bass, but also a sneaky underground feel that suggests both angel and devil. Jones and Whitaker play the standard "A Time for Love" in duet form, as tender as can be. Certainly the source material for the band is not exhausted if they want to keep adapting rhythm & blues classics into current-day jazz vehicles, and they are crowd-pleasing for sure. While Allen's and Whitaker's strong suit remains their individuality, it's an aspect of their professional lives heard in several different contexts, and quite prevalent here no matter whose tunes they play. ~ Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide
Carl Allen
Active Decades: '80s, '90s and '00s
Born: Apr 25, 1961 in Milwaukee, WI
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Hard Bop, Post-Bop
Carl Allen, a fine drummer who has worked with Freddie Hubbard, Jackie McLean, George Coleman, Art Farmer, and Benny Green, fit right in with the band Message, which recorded The Art of Blakey in the late '80s. He went on to lead his own sessions for Timeless, Atlantic, and Evidence in addition to working on producing albums by other top "Young Lions." In 2007 he paired up with bassist Rodney Whitaker for the soul-inflected People Get Ready.
---Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
Rodney Whitaker
Active Decades: '90s and '00s
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Contemporary Jazz, Post-Bop
Bassist Rodney Whitaker was among the leading lights of a new generation of contemporary jazz musicians emerging from Detroit. A native of the Motor City, he began playing the violin at the age of eight, switching to the bass five years later after hearing Paul Chambers on a John Coltrane album. As a teen, he joined saxophonist Donald Washington in the group Bird/Trane/Sko/Now!, which also included a young James Carter; he later replaced bassist Robert Hurst in the Terence Blanchard-Donald Harrison Quintet, followed by a three-year stint with Roy Hargrove. After recording with the likes of Blanchard, Hargrove, Antonio Hart, Junko Onishi and Mark Whitfield, in 1996 Whitaker issued his solo debut Children of the Light; Hidden Kingdom followed two years later, and in 1999 the bassist returned with Ballads and Blues. Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow appeared in mid-2000.
---Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide |
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