Dexter Gordon Night Ballads (Uptown Records)
Dick Griffin Time Will Tell (Ruby Records)
by Alex Henderson
Over the years, pianist George Cables has recorded more than 25 albums as a leader. But an equally important part of Cables’ legacy is all the sideman work he has done; Frank Morgan, Sonny Rollins, Art Pepper, Freddie Hubbard and many others made a wise decision when they employed him. And when one plays tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon’s Night Ballads and veteran trombonist Dick Griffin’s new release Time Will Tell side by side, it is evident that Cables hasn’t lost anything along the way. His lyrical yet hard-swinging pianism is an asset on both gigs.
Night Ballads consists of previously unreleased live recordings made in November 1977 during a four-night engagement at the Rising Sun in Montréal, where Gordon led an acoustic quartet of Cables, bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Eddie Gladden (who died in 2003). Uptown Records had an abundance of material to choose from and opted to concentrate on extended performances of ballads for this 78-minute CD; the expressive Gordon devotes 20 minutes to “Polka Dots and Moonbeams”, 19 minutes to “Old Folks”, 16 minutes to “You’ve Changed” and almost 19 minutes to “Lover Man”. Gordon has plenty of room to stretch out and so does Cables (32 at the time). A big part of the fun is listening to Gordon’s spoken introductions to the songs; on stage, Long Tall Dexter liked to let audiences know what song he was about to perform by reciting some of the lyrics in his deep voice.
The sound quality on Night Ballads is not ideal, but it’s adequate--and the power of Gordon’s hardbop interactions with Cables comes through. Hopefully, Uptown Records will, at some point, release some more recordings from this engagement. Cables was a young man in 1977, but these days, he (at 67) is revered as one of the elder statesmen of jazz and jazz piano. And he is in fine form on Griffin’s Time Will Tell, a postbop studio outing that also includes James Spaulding (alto sax and flute), Cecil McBee (bass) and Victor Lewis (drums), all seasoned veterans, and that includes Griffin (now in his early 70s). The trombonist’s chops have held up well; his full-bodied tone hasn’t lost any of its richness and Cables is perfect for the hard-swinging yet melodic approach that Griffin favors. All eight of the selections are Griffin originals, which range from the sentimental ballad “For the Love in My Heart” and dusky, melancholy opener “Could It Be the Blues” to the contemplative “Time Goes By” and the driving “Mind Over” while there is a strong AfroCuban flavor to “Home Song” and the infectious “Let’s Take a Chance”. But whatever Griffin does, Cables has no problem rising to the occasion.
One word that really explains Cables’ appeal as a sideman is ‘reliable’. Never a major innovator, the many leaders who have hired him for their albums knew that they would be getting a dependable pianist who brings both technical prowess and soulful expression to the table. And those qualities are very much in evidence on both Night Ballads and Time Will Tell.
For more information, visit uptownrecords.net and myspace.com/dickgriffin. George Cables is at Smoke Aug. 10th-11th and Birdland Aug. 28th-31st. See Calendar.
