If a city has any type of
jazz
scene, it has some improvisers who enjoy local hero status -- people who are highly regarded locally but not well-known elsewhere. Local
heroes can be found in places that range from Copenhagen to Seattle to Rio de Janeiro; they can be tenor saxophonists like Philadelphia's
Bootsie Barnes
, singers like Boston's
Paul Broadnax
, or pianists like Chicago's
Jodie Christian
. If someone is unfamiliar with
Christian
, it doesn't necessarily mean that he/she doesn't know
-- but it does indicate that he/she hasn't spent much time checking out Chicago's
scene. Thankfully, the Chicago-based
Delmark Records
gave
a chance to do some recording in the 1990s, and 1996's
Front Line
was his third
Delmark
album. Produced by label owner
Bob Koester
, this CD finds the artist leading a hard-swinging group of Chicagoans that includes
Norris Turney
on alto sax,
Eddie Johnson
on tenor sax,
John Whitfield
on bass, and
Ernie Adams
or
Gerryck King
on drums.
Francine Griffin
, a likable but obscure singer, joins the sextet on
Duke Ellington
's
"Don't Get Around Much Anymore."
But all of the other material is
instrumental
, and that includes a few
originals as well as solid performances of
Wayne Shorter
"Lester Left Town"
and
Miles Davis
'
"All Blues."
Turney
was heavily influenced by
Johnny Hodges
and spent some time as lead alto sax in the
Ellington
big band, which explains why standards from the
/
Strayhorn
songbook are a high priority. In addition to
"Don't Get Around Much Anymore,"
puts his spin on
"Mood Indigo,"
"Chelsea Bridge,"
"In a Mellow Tone."
Outside of the Windy City,
isn't nearly as well known as he deserves to be, but that doesn't make
any less appealing. ~ Alex Henderson