AVAILABLE NOW: George Coleman’s “The Quartet” on Smoke Sessions Records

The Quartet  Teams the NEA Jazz Master
with Harold Mabern, John Webber & Joe Farnsworth

Album Release Performances October 17 – 20
at Smoke Jazz and Supper Club

So when the saxophone giant christens an album The Quartet, those two simple words speak volumes about the esteem in which he holds the musicians that make up his band. Coleman’s latest album, available now on Smoke Sessions Records, more than backs up that typically understated compliment with a captivating session of bristling swing, lively interplay and deep communication.

That fact isn’t particularly surprising considering the musicians involved. On this all-too-rare excursion into the studio, Coleman was joined by bassist John Webber and drummer Joe Farnsworth, as well as the late pianist Harold Mabern, with whom the 84-year old master shares an almost lifelong relationship. This album would ultimately be Mabern’s final studio recording before his unexpected passing on September 17, 2019.

Coleman and Mabern share roots in the fertile musical soil of Memphis, Tennessee, and have known each other since their days in high school studying under swing-era saxophonist Jimmie Lunceford. The two had been recording together sporadically for more than 50 years, ever since Mabern’s 1968 debut A Few Miles From Memphis. “We kept that connection through the years,” Coleman says. “He and I share a lot of experience and knowledge.”

This prolific quartet had been sharing the bandstand for the better part of two decades, though this release marks their debut recording as a unit. That fact alone lends considerable heft to that seemingly straightforward title.

The rhythm section’s profound chemistry can hardly be overstated; in addition to their work with Coleman, the three have logged countless hours on stage under Mabern’s leadership and as a quartet with saxophonist Eric Alexander. “I’ve had some great people in my quartets over the years,” Coleman says. “These guys are all great musicians. I don’t have to rehearse with them; we just get on the stand and play, and they keep their ears open.”

That relaxed approach is evident throughout The Quartet, which manages to feel warm and effortless while never for a moment losing the scintillating surprise of in-the-moment discovery. Coleman’s impassioned strains, sounding over Mabern’s emphatic chords, immediately grab the listener’s tension on opener “Paul’s Call,” a new piece dedicated to Smoke Jazz Club owner Paul Stache. The title stems from the deep mutual respect and longstanding friendship held between the saxophonist and the club. Coleman’s quartet opened Smoke in 1999 and has remained a favorite on its stage ever since.

“Recording George Coleman and his quartet is the reason we have a label,” Stache says. “They represent a certain musical ideal that we hope to promote.”

The Quartet adds a new chapter to Coleman’s considerable discography, one that reflects the wealth of experiences and encounters that he has enjoyed over the decades. Most importantly it captures a stellar band at the height of its powers, a tantalizing glimpse of an extraordinary quartet only previously enjoyed by those who’ve been awestruck by seeing them in person.