Sean Fyfe: Stepping Stones

CELLAR MUSIC 32924. (RECORDED MAY 2023)

With original compositions such as “See Ya!,” “Stepping Stones,” and “Skitch,” Canadian pianist Sean Fyfe has added to the hard bop songbook. With his latest recording, Stepping Stones, he has also added to Cellar Music’s collection of hard bop infused releases. Everything about Stepping Stones is reminiscent of classic Bluenote quartet dates — soulful originals, tender ballads, blues-infused solos, driving rhythms and familiar standards. Fyfe, who now makes his home in London, is joined on this session with a group of hard boppers from England — Dave O’Higgins on tenor, Luke Fowler on bass and Matt Fishwick on drums. On “Sweet and Lovely,” O’Higgins’ big, husky and soulful tone shows his appreciation for the language of Bluenote greats such as Dexter Gordon, Stanley Turrentine and Joe Henderson. The voicings and solo styles of Bobby Timmons, Cedar Walton, Horace Silver and Wynton Kelly (all who appeared on various Bluenote dates) are evident in the way Fyfe solos and comps on his own tunes as well as classics such as “Skylark” and “Without a Song.” Fowler and Fishwick capture the hard bop propulsion of Paul Chambers and Arthur Taylor as they navigate the stops and starts of “Just in Time” or provide the pulse for “Prelude To a Kiss.” True, you can probably get your fix of the Bluenote sound by going back to classic dates from many of the artists mentioned above, but it nice to see younger musicians embracing the music of that era with reverence, passion and joy.

BOTTOM LINE: One might say, Cellar Music has a thing for hard bop and the contemporary players who are embracing the soulful tunes, driving rhythms and captivating solos that were the mainstay of jazz in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Pianist Sean Fyfe is one of them, and along with Dave O’Higgins on sax, Luke Fowler on bass and Matt Fishwick on drums they pay and play homage to this bygone era on Stepping Stones.