JAM: April/May 2003 Issue: For the Record

Pat Coil
TRUE NORTH
Liberty Hill Music

Personnel: Pat Coil, piano; Craig Nelson, bass; Jim White, drums

Tracks: Skeets; The Last Season; Mind's Eye; The Edge; Sco; Waltz for C; Hang Time; True North

Recorded at Wildwood Studio, Brentwood, TN; Brendan Harkin, engineer.

If you're not familiar with jazz pianist Pat Coil, chances are you've heard him without knowing it. A native of Jefferson City, Missouri, Woody Herman alumni, and former North Texas college roommate-Carmen McCrae bandmate of Kansas City's own Bob Bowman, Coil spent ten years in Los Angeles recording for TV, film, radio, and an impressive line-up of pop, jazz, gospel, and R&B artists. His credits include "Star Trek," "China Beach," "Murphy Brown," "Murder She Wrote," "Columbo," Natalie Cole, CeCe Winan, Nancy Wilson, Bette Midler, and Dionne Warwick.

Currently living in Nashville, Coil continues to have a successful career as a session player, arranger and producer. Somehow, in between working with stars like Vince Gill, George Strait, Travis Tritt, and Trisha Yearwood, he has also managed to find time to compose and perform jazz, his "first love."

True North, a trio project with bassist Craig Nelson and drummer Jim White, is Coil's fourth recording under his own name, and the first on his own label, Liberty Hall Music. Vigorous, lively, and thoughtful, the music on True North is, more than anything, jubilant. The first time I listened to this CD, I was driving out to the lake with my dogs, the sun was out, the ice was melting, and Coil's music -- cranked up on the CD player in my truck -- had me smiling and playing percussion on the steering wheel. In this time of uncertainty and instability, and too many anxious hours spent watching CNN, I've learned to value the things that make me feel hopeful. I need to listen to more music like this.

The opening track, "Skeets," is a tune dedicated to a "wonderful piano player" that Coil heard and met in Cleveland, Ohio. It starts with an edgy unison line that bursts out into wide open swing. "The Last Season," full of energy and a changing time feel, is Coil's farewell to L.A. and his TV/film work there.

"Mind's Eye," co-written with Craig Nelson, combines a hypnotic descending chord progression with gospel inflection and a gorgeous bass solo. "Hang Time" is a spirit-lifting samba. "The Edge" was written for Scott Henderson, "Sco" is a quietly funky tribute to John Scofield, and "Waltz for C" is dedicated to Coil's wife Colleen.

The closing track, "True North," is part hymn and part benediction. It expresses the importance of keeping the "spiritual compass" pointed in the right direction.

Like a distillation of Keith Jarrett and Vince Guaraldi, the performances and compositions on this recording are both challenging and accessible. Crisp and concise. Finely crafted. After years of high pressure studio work, Coil knows how to get right to the point and say what he has to say.

And what he's saying seems to be mostly about hope.

Yeah, I definitely need to listen to more music like this.
-- Tim Cross

Artt Frank/Joe Cartwright/Steve Rigazzi
THAT TRIO THING
MJA Records

CDmja 517

Personnel: Artt Frank, drums; Joe Cartwright, piano; Steve Rigazzi, bass

Tracks: Blues in the Closet; In Your Own Sweet Way; My Romance; Bro Samba; Unit VI; Refuge; Dat Dere; You and the Night and the Music; I've Never Been in Love Before

Recorded September 25, 2000 and January 7, 2002 at Schmitt Music, Overland Park, KS; Kenneth Barry, engineer. Mixed at Soundtrek Studios, Kansas City, MO; Ron Ubel, engineer.

"A threefold cord is not quickly broken." Ecclesiastes 4:12

"Artt Frank is my all-time favorite drummer," Chet Baker once declared. "He always seems to know where I'm going." At this stage in his career as composer, lyricist, and ultimate Bop drummer, Frank always seems to know where he's going, literally and geographically as well as musically. Take Kansas City, for example, where he came to record That Trio Thing with Joe Cartwright and Steve Rigazzi.

Frank's play-by-ear style is authentic bebop. Working with Cartwright and Rigazzi, according to Frank, "is as good as it gets!" Nice accolades from one of the best rhythm players on the scene. Cartwright, credited by Dave Brubeck for talent and imagination, says the new album "emphasizes spontaneity and empathy... truly the essence of jazz." Offering three original compositions between two sets of three standards each, the recording was "virtually unrehearsed," adds Rigazzi, "and completely fresh."

In science, the triple point is the condition of temperature and pressure under which the three phases of a substance -- gaseous, liquid, and solid -- can exist in equilibrium. From Cartwright's first keyboard note on Oscar Petitford's "Blues in the Closet," the group achieves optimal triple-point condition. Next, Frank's sweet brushstrokes introduce the classic Brubeck tribute to his wife, Iola, after which "My Romance" from Rodgers and Hart frolics.

"Bro Samba," composed by Frank in memory of his three departed brothers, epitomizes pain, pathos, and poignancy. The pianist then provides a soulful tribute to his son, Joseph Lafayette Cartwright VI, before a Frank-Cartwright ballad, "Refuge," hauntingly reflects on the tragedy of 9/11. A smart "Dat Dere" ends with an echo of laughter from the players. Two romantic, swinging works follow, first from the 1930s era Dietz & Schwartz book and finally from Frank Loesser and the 1950 Broadway musical, "Guys and Dolls."

Top jazz artists embody artistic freedom. Using brushes exclusively, Frank paints the drumskins with a vivid palette of colors. Like Picasso on canvas, Frank plays with the compositional possibilities of the scene around him and creates a new, exciting vernacular. Rigazzi and Cartwright embrace the Arttistic philosophy of music -- to build a spiritual unity in the sound. Assembled for the first time, the trio already speaks with one pure, true voice.

Together, Cartwright, Frank and Rigazzi know where they're going. Enjoy the journey as they arrive at complete, three-in-one, equilibrium via That Trio Thing.
-- Tom Fredrick

Sherry Jones/Mike Ning
HOW DO YOU KEEP THE MUSIC PLAYING?
Personnel: Sherry Jones-Ning, vocals; Timothy Ning, vocals; Mike Ning, piano, bass, vocals; Rod Wilson, tenor saxophone; Jerry Durrell, drums, percussion

Tracks: How Do You Keep the Music Playing?; Mountain Greenery; Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah; Cute; What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?; Simple Song; Just In Time; Popsicle Toes; Guess Who I Saw Today?; Shiny Stockings; Skylark; Route 66; Papa, Can You Hear Me/The Way He Makes Me Feel; Until I Met You (Corner Pocket); When You Gotta Go/In the Wee Small Hours

Recorded July 5, 2002 at Soundtrek Studios, Kansas City, MO; Ron Ubel, engineer.

One of Kansas City's most popular and productive musical couples, pianist/vocalist Mike Ning and vocalist Sherry Jones, offer a menu of mostly jazz favorites with How Do You Keep the Music Playing?, assisted by a couple of worthy compatriots -- drummer/percussionist Jerry Durrell and tenorman Rod Wilson. Even their son, Tim, joins in "before he turns into a bass" on the novelty number "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah." It's refreshing to hear a prepubescent with a sense of pitch in this era of speaksong.

Sherry's lyrical sensitivity is well-suited to the title song, a beautiful ballad introduced atop Mike's tasty accompaniment, unfolding to full trio (Ning doubles on keyboard bass) and Ning's contrapuntal vocal, a Jones/Ning trademark.

"Mountain Greenery" pays homage to another vocal duo, Jackie Cain and Roy Kral. It's a smart chart complete with key changes, call and response, and duplicate as well as variations of those familiar yet tricky scat lines.
Ning/Jones' vocal duo trading choruses with the drums introduces "Cute," which segues into a laid back solo delivered by the Big BeBopper, Rod Wilson. Rather than taking the usual a cappella featured slot, Durrell, who doubles on bongos, sidles artfully alongside Wilson and Ning.

Anyone who successfully tackles the first interval of "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" qualifies for the jazz singer's "Medal of On It." Sherry is convincingly passionate, Wilson compatibly smoky. The Ning/Jones vocal interplay tail into Jones' delicate resolution. Very nice.

There is much to like here. "Simple Song" is a simple little samba, effortless and enjoyable. Likewise, "Route 66." And "Just In Time," with a sharp arrangement by Kirby Shaw, under whose baton both Mike and Sherry flourished.

Most vocal jazz aficionados are hip to "Popsicle Toes," no small feat to undertake. (I couldn't help myself.) This version features Mike's vocal negotiating the unconventional changes with ease and aplomb. Once more, Wilson's tenor punctuates with perfection.

With depth and dynamics, Sherry delivers an appropriately emotional "Guess Who I Saw Today?" A bouncy unison "Shiny Stockings" with tuneful scat choruses and another fun tenor solo is followed by a gentle, mellisonant "Skylark."

Sherry sounds better than ever, interpreting with conviction, utilizing her amiable range with balance and control.

"Papa, Can You Hear Me?"/"The Way He Makes Me Feel" is dedicated to Sherry's dad, at the same time serving as a tour de force tribute to one of Jones' favorite singers, Barbra Streisand.

Vocalese "Until I Met You (Corner Pocket)" is followed by "When You Gotta Go"/"In the Wee Small Hours," their last-call number when they perform. Speaking of which, if you have an opportunity to see/hear Sherry Jones and Mike Ning, by all means, do so; they are possibly underappreciated in this city of teeming talent.

In the meantime, satisfy yourself with this, their latest CD.
-- Carol Comer






	Search our site:		Pat Coil TRUE NORTH Liberty Hill Music Personnel: Pat Coil, piano; Craig Nelson, bass; Jim White, drums Tracks: Skeets; The Last Season; Mind's Eye; The Edge; Sco; Waltz for C; Hang Time; True North Recorded at Wildwood Studio, Brentwood, TN; Brendan Harkin, engineer. If you're not familiar with jazz pianist Pat Coil, chances are you've heard him without knowing it. A native of Jefferson City, Missouri, Woody Herman alumni, and former North Texas college roommate-Carmen McCrae bandmate of Kansas City's own Bob Bowman, Coil spent ten years in Los Angeles recording for TV, film, radio, and an impressive line-up of pop, jazz, gospel, and R&B artists. His credits include "Star Trek," "China Beach," "Murphy Brown," "Murder She Wrote," "Columbo," Natalie Cole, CeCe Winan, Nancy Wilson, Bette Midler, and Dionne Warwick. Currently living in Nashville, Coil continues to have a successful career as a session player, arranger and producer. Somehow, in between working with stars like Vince Gill, George Strait, Travis Tritt, and Trisha Yearwood, he has also managed to find time to compose and perform jazz, his "first love." True North, a trio project with bassist Craig Nelson and drummer Jim White, is Coil's fourth recording under his own name, and the first on his own label, Liberty Hall Music. Vigorous, lively, and thoughtful, the music on True North is, more than anything, jubilant. The first time I listened to this CD, I was driving out to the lake with my dogs, the sun was out, the ice was melting, and Coil's music -- cranked up on the CD player in my truck -- had me smiling and playing percussion on the steering wheel. In this time of uncertainty and instability, and too many anxious hours spent watching CNN, I've learned to value the things that make me feel hopeful. I need to listen to more music like this. The opening track, "Skeets," is a tune dedicated to a "wonderful piano player" that Coil heard and met in Cleveland, Ohio. It starts with an edgy unison line that bursts out into wide open swing. "The Last Season," full of energy and a changing time feel, is Coil's farewell to L.A. and his TV/film work there. "Mind's Eye," co-written with Craig Nelson, combines a hypnotic descending chord progression with gospel inflection and a gorgeous bass solo. "Hang Time" is a spirit-lifting samba. "The Edge" was written for Scott Henderson, "Sco" is a quietly funky tribute to John Scofield, and "Waltz for C" is dedicated to Coil's wife Colleen. The closing track, "True North," is part hymn and part benediction. It expresses the importance of keeping the "spiritual compass" pointed in the right direction. Like a distillation of Keith Jarrett and Vince Guaraldi, the performances and compositions on this recording are both challenging and accessible. Crisp and concise. Finely crafted. After years of high pressure studio work, Coil knows how to get right to the point and say what he has to say. And what he's saying seems to be mostly about hope. Yeah, I definitely need to listen to more music like this. -- Tim Cross Artt Frank/Joe Cartwright/Steve Rigazzi THAT TRIO THING MJA Records CDmja 517 Personnel: Artt Frank, drums; Joe Cartwright, piano; Steve Rigazzi, bass Tracks: Blues in the Closet; In Your Own Sweet Way; My Romance; Bro Samba; Unit VI; Refuge; Dat Dere; You and the Night and the Music; I've Never Been in Love Before Recorded September 25, 2000 and January 7, 2002 at Schmitt Music, Overland Park, KS; Kenneth Barry, engineer. Mixed at Soundtrek Studios, Kansas City, MO; Ron Ubel, engineer. "A threefold cord is not quickly broken." Ecclesiastes 4:12 "Artt Frank is my all-time favorite drummer," Chet Baker once declared. "He always seems to know where I'm going." At this stage in his career as composer, lyricist, and ultimate Bop drummer, Frank always seems to know where he's going, literally and geographically as well as musically. Take Kansas City, for example, where he came to record That Trio Thing with Joe Cartwright and Steve Rigazzi. Frank's play-by-ear style is authentic bebop. Working with Cartwright and Rigazzi, according to Frank, "is as good as it gets!" Nice accolades from one of the best rhythm players on the scene. Cartwright, credited by Dave Brubeck for talent and imagination, says the new album "emphasizes spontaneity and empathy... truly the essence of jazz." Offering three original compositions between two sets of three standards each, the recording was "virtually unrehearsed," adds Rigazzi, "and completely fresh." In science, the triple point is the condition of temperature and pressure under which the three phases of a substance -- gaseous, liquid, and solid -- can exist in equilibrium. From Cartwright's first keyboard note on Oscar Petitford's "Blues in the Closet," the group achieves optimal triple-point condition. Next, Frank's sweet brushstrokes introduce the classic Brubeck tribute to his wife, Iola, after which "My Romance" from Rodgers and Hart frolics. "Bro Samba," composed by Frank in memory of his three departed brothers, epitomizes pain, pathos, and poignancy. The pianist then provides a soulful tribute to his son, Joseph Lafayette Cartwright VI, before a Frank-Cartwright ballad, "Refuge," hauntingly reflects on the tragedy of 9/11. A smart "Dat Dere" ends with an echo of laughter from the players. Two romantic, swinging works follow, first from the 1930s era Dietz & Schwartz book and finally from Frank Loesser and the 1950 Broadway musical, "Guys and Dolls." Top jazz artists embody artistic freedom. Using brushes exclusively, Frank paints the drumskins with a vivid palette of colors. Like Picasso on canvas, Frank plays with the compositional possibilities of the scene around him and creates a new, exciting vernacular. Rigazzi and Cartwright embrace the Arttistic philosophy of music -- to build a spiritual unity in the sound. Assembled for the first time, the trio already speaks with one pure, true voice. Together, Cartwright, Frank and Rigazzi know where they're going. Enjoy the journey as they arrive at complete, three-in-one, equilibrium via That Trio Thing. -- Tom Fredrick Sherry Jones/Mike Ning HOW DO YOU KEEP THE MUSIC PLAYING? Personnel: Sherry Jones-Ning, vocals; Timothy Ning, vocals; Mike Ning, piano, bass, vocals; Rod Wilson, tenor saxophone; Jerry Durrell, drums, percussion Tracks: How Do You Keep the Music Playing?; Mountain Greenery; Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah; Cute; What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?; Simple Song; Just In Time; Popsicle Toes; Guess Who I Saw Today?; Shiny Stockings; Skylark; Route 66; Papa, Can You Hear Me/The Way He Makes Me Feel; Until I Met You (Corner Pocket); When You Gotta Go/In the Wee Small Hours Recorded July 5, 2002 at Soundtrek Studios, Kansas City, MO; Ron Ubel, engineer. One of Kansas City's most popular and productive musical couples, pianist/vocalist Mike Ning and vocalist Sherry Jones, offer a menu of mostly jazz favorites with How Do You Keep the Music Playing?, assisted by a couple of worthy compatriots -- drummer/percussionist Jerry Durrell and tenorman Rod Wilson. Even their son, Tim, joins in "before he turns into a bass" on the novelty number "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah." It's refreshing to hear a prepubescent with a sense of pitch in this era of speaksong. Sherry's lyrical sensitivity is well-suited to the title song, a beautiful ballad introduced atop Mike's tasty accompaniment, unfolding to full trio (Ning doubles on keyboard bass) and Ning's contrapuntal vocal, a Jones/Ning trademark. "Mountain Greenery" pays homage to another vocal duo, Jackie Cain and Roy Kral. It's a smart chart complete with key changes, call and response, and duplicate as well as variations of those familiar yet tricky scat lines. Ning/Jones' vocal duo trading choruses with the drums introduces "Cute," which segues into a laid back solo delivered by the Big BeBopper, Rod Wilson. Rather than taking the usual a cappella featured slot, Durrell, who doubles on bongos, sidles artfully alongside Wilson and Ning. Anyone who successfully tackles the first interval of "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" qualifies for the jazz singer's "Medal of On It." Sherry is convincingly passionate, Wilson compatibly smoky. The Ning/Jones vocal interplay tail into Jones' delicate resolution. Very nice. There is much to like here. "Simple Song" is a simple little samba, effortless and enjoyable. Likewise, "Route 66." And "Just In Time," with a sharp arrangement by Kirby Shaw, under whose baton both Mike and Sherry flourished. Most vocal jazz aficionados are hip to "Popsicle Toes," no small feat to undertake. (I couldn't help myself.) This version features Mike's vocal negotiating the unconventional changes with ease and aplomb. Once more, Wilson's tenor punctuates with perfection. With depth and dynamics, Sherry delivers an appropriately emotional "Guess Who I Saw Today?" A bouncy unison "Shiny Stockings" with tuneful scat choruses and another fun tenor solo is followed by a gentle, mellisonant "Skylark." Sherry sounds better than ever, interpreting with conviction, utilizing her amiable range with balance and control. "Papa, Can You Hear Me?"/"The Way He Makes Me Feel" is dedicated to Sherry's dad, at the same time serving as a tour de force tribute to one of Jones' favorite singers, Barbra Streisand. Vocalese "Until I Met You (Corner Pocket)" is followed by "When You Gotta Go"/"In the Wee Small Hours," their last-call number when they perform. Speaking of which, if you have an opportunity to see/hear Sherry Jones and Mike Ning, by all means, do so; they are possibly underappreciated in this city of teeming talent. In the meantime, satisfy yourself with this, their latest CD. -- Carol Comer RETURN TO APRIL/MAY 2003 MAIN INDEX © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2003. All rights reserved.