Personnel:
Toni Solà (ts, arr), Harry Allen (ts), Gerard Nieto (p, org), Ignasi González (b), Xavi Hinojosa (d), Charmin Michelle (vcl)
Reference: SA 037
Bar code: 8427328450379
“I have been playing tenor duets with my friend Toni Sola on and off for about 15 years. We still get together every year in Barcelona. He has always been a very distinctive voice on tenor and a musician with a great feeling for jazz, soul music and blues. In addition he knows how to put together a really good album, which is a very rare ability.”
-Scott Hamilton
Reviewer rating: FIVE-STAR
"Some records need a lot of thought before having a rating assigned to them. Not this one; I knew after just two tracks it was a five-star.
There has been, in my opinion, little really good, original jazz recorded in the past three years. Much of it is diluted with fusion, funk, hip-hop or what have you and the originals are instantly forgettable.
This one succeeds perhaps because it is fairly basic but played with passion and commitment. The opening blues I Hope You Are Hip goes back to the old days of jousting between players like Sonny Stitt and Gene Ammons. Here it is the acerbic but swinging Toni Solà and the warm and inventive Harry Allen pitching their different tenor styles to good effect.
Isfahan is taken at a medium clip with rousing solos from the leader and pianist Nieto. Solà mixes contemporary flourishes on tenor with good, old fashioned breathy ballad playing on tracks like Ishfahan. Cool, Cool Daddy returns to pulsating blues and introduces the vibrant, bluesy voice of Charmin Michelle. Strong tenor and piano dig in after her solo spot. Charmin also has fine vocals on Midnight Sun and I Remember you. Tin Tin Deo reunites Solà and Harry Allen for another competitive workout on tenor saxes.
To provide contrast and keep up the inventive manner of their playing the quartet without guests play a great slow ballad version of There’ll Be Another Spring and one of the two Solà originals, The Preacher’s Dog, this one a funky blues with the rhythm section pushing and prodding him all the way.
Summary: Some records need a lot of thought before having a rating assigned to them. Not this one; I knew after just two tracks it was a five-star!"
Derek Ansell (April 17, 2019)
https://jazzjournal.co.uk
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"Está muy bien que celebremos el 60 aiversario de 'Kind of Blue' pero, por Dios, no dejéis de celebrar lo que se está haciendo ahora mismo. NO espereis 60 años para hacerlo. Disfrutad ahora, en vida, de esta maravilla 'Cool People' de Toni Solà."
José Miguel López (2 de marzo, 2019)
-Discópolis, Radio 3 (RNE)
