RUPE MEDIA 71524 (SEPTEMBER 2021)
There is an ice cream shop not far from our home that specializes in funky and creative flavors. Yet, they seem incapable of producing a good vanilla. Sounds like some of the recordings I have been hearing lately – lots of funky and creative adaptations, but only a few are straight forward, pure and satisfying. That’s not the case with It Gets Better, a delectable new release from saxophonist Jeff Rupert. Rupert doesn’t need exotic flavors and toppings to satisfy your appetite for post-bop jazz. The triple scoop rhythm section of pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Joe Farnsworth are the perfect complement to Rupert’s modern day Stan Getz sound. From the opening line of his bright and bouncy “Petrichor (in the Cote D’azur)” to the languid mood of his ballad “Promenade in Blue,” It Gets Better is packed with flavor. There’s the haunting sound of “Pharoah’s Daughter,” the lilting waltz of “Nowhere To Go But Up,” from “Mary Poppins Returns,” the intricate and sophisticated arrangement of Billy Strayhorn’s “Lana Turner, the stop-and-go blues of Rupert’s “Not My Blues” and a piano-less trio reading of Jimmy Van Heusen’s “Like Someone in Love.” The tunes, musicians and recording quality (thanks to Mauren Sickler at Van Gelder Studio) are combined and churned to perfection. Like a great vanilla ice cream, It Gets Better is rich in flavor, pure in texture and unadulterated by unnecessary ingredients. In other words, it’s classic, and it doesn’t get any better than that!
BOTTOM LINE: I am not certain Jeff Rupert’s It Gets Better can get any better! Consider the players — Rupert on tenor sax supported by the well-oiled rhythm section of pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Joe Farnsworth. Consider the studio in which the session was recorded — the inspiring Van Gelder. Consider the mix of originals ad standards. What more could you ask for?
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