I don’t know what the feel is called when the drummer hits a cross stick on every quarter-note, but I love it. To me it will always be the “Swept Away” feel from the masterful playing of Questlove on The Roots album “Do You Want More?!??” Heck, maybe that’s what leader Joan Hutton called out to drummer David Schmalenberger when they were working up the song. Regardless of how the conversation went. . .the results are stunning.
The new tune from Joan Hutton is called “Sunshine” and it moves along with a smooth, relaxed feel that still packs a punch in terms of dynamics and intensity. I’m glad this one dropped in the summertime as the energy feels just right for those long afternoons and evenings when you want the music to go down as smoothly as the lemonade does. Mission accomplished in my humble opinion.
Joan Hutton tapped the pre-locked in rhythm section from her group “Take That Back” to handle this recording and it was the right decision because the groove is rock solid. Kameron Markworth on bass and David Schmalenberger on drums don’t try anything too fancy, and they don’t have much reason to, the tune speaks for itself. David Milne makes beautiful contributions on flute including a reading of the melody that moves from unison to harmony at just the right moments to connect with Joan Hutton’s tenor sax. And Ted Godbout (piano) and Joan Hutton (tenor sax) take star turns with concise solos that always stay rooted in the groove and melodic material of the tune. I’d also like to give a special nod to Dylan Nau who recorded the group at his Daydream Studios operation. There’s a wealth of great studio choices for musicians in this town, but I thought this recording was particularly stellar, so I tip my hat to Dylan and his team.
We’re lucky to have players and writers of this caliber jumping into the studio to get new originals out into the universe and we’re doubly lucky that we can listen to this summer-approved tune before the autumn chill arrives. Kudos to Joan Hutton and the rest of the group on this effort.
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