Personnel:
Paul Morvan (d), Dmitry Baevsky (as), Hugo Lippi (g), David Wong (b), Christelle Raquillet (fl)
Reference: FSNT-699
Bar code: 8427328436991
Official release date: May 22, 2025
I was playing at Duc des Lombards a few years ago, and there I met my great friend Paul Morvan on drums. He was playing after us. He’s been holding that chair for a few years, hosting the late night jam session. And just by the way he looked, I could tell he was serious about the music. I watched him set up the cymbals, and I knew he was going to be soulful and swing around the drums. I knew right there that I have a musical brother for life. And when he played, it made everything feel good to me.
This record, called “Dedicated”, just makes me so happy. He has some great players I know well with him: David Wong on bass, who played with Roy Haynes and the Heath Brothers, and Dmitry Baevsky, great alto player who played with a lot of people.
Through his playing, Paul Morvan showcases his love for this music and the masters who shaped it. That’s the only true way of dedicating a record. It’s not playing like them, but it’s being inspired by them and playing in your very own unique way. He chose tunes here composed by Charlie Parker, Duke Pearson, Cedar Walton, Horace Silver, and he wrote two originals. I was especially taken by the way he plays Koko, because Charlie Parker is the king of this music. Art Taylor used to tell me:“If you want to learn the rhythm and the phrasing of this music, you’ve got to learn Charlie Parker and Bud Powell tunes.” And here’s a young man who plays Koko. That’s where you show what you got. I was blown away by the control he had over the melody, the innovative way he played rhythms, how he took a great solo, man... and his comping !
So, I give him a standing ovation for making such an album, keeping the flame alive and being a true messenger. That’s what some great musicians do and what they’ve been doing since the creation of this artform. That’s why jazz will never die, because of people like that. There are not too many of them, and I can’t say enough about Paul. I’m thrilled to be a part of the drum family with him, and thrilled that he made this record. Paul is also a great person, on and off the bandstand...
When Art Taylor talked about what it takes to be a great musician and a great bandleader, and a great messenger of music, he said you must work hard, be true to yourself, mind your own business, and surround yourself with good people. That’s what Paul Morvan’s soul and music embodies, that’s what he represents.
—Joe Farnsworth, drummer
January 16th, 2025, New York City
