PAPATAMUS REDUX

CELLAR MUSIC (RELEASED JULY 11, 2025)

It’s not groundbreaking. It’s not political. It’s not abstract. Saxophonist Jacob Chung’s latest record, Live at Frankie’s Jazz Club, is simply solid. Everything about it — the tunes, the musicianship, the solos — speaks to one truth — the vitality of hard-driving jazz. For his third recording, Chung chose to capture the energy of his working quartet at the end of their cross Canadian tour in Vancouver. Chung, pianist Tyler Henderson, bassist Caleb Tobochman and drummer Hank Allen Barfield are among the new generation of young lions who revel in the opportunity to play the music they love with control, compassion and competency. That music ranges from up-tempo hard bop classics such as Duke Pearson’s “Jeannine” to the intricate bop lines of Bud Powell’s “Oblivion” to overlooked ballads such as “This is No Laughing Matter.” Chung’s muscular tenor weaves chorus after chorus of inventive solos throughout the session. Henderson’s solos are rich in blues lines and chordal playing that defined the great pianists of the Bluenote era. Tobochman’s solid (there’s that word again) time keeps things running smoothly while his solos demonstrate his respect for melodies and harmonies. Barfield is given ample space to interact with other players as they trade fours on several selections. Chung steps off the bandstand for a classic trio performance of “Beautiful Friendship.” In addition to the standards, there is a refreshing quartet version of Henderson’s “Love Endures,” a ballad that first appeared on Henderson’s recent trio date for Cellar Music. With the release of Live at Frankie’s Jazz Club, Cellar Music continues to celebrate musicians such as Jacob Chung and the Tyler Henderson Trio who celebrate the excitement and energy of hard-driving jazz.

BOTTOM LINE: Live at Frankie’s Jazz Club is just that — live with solid performances that celebrate the vitality of straight-ahead swinging jazz. Saxophonist Jacob Chung and the Tyler Henderson trio treat you to a selection of ballads, hardbop classic and bebop tunes that define a term first used by Cab Calloway to mean good, swell and okay — solid!