Jacob Chung – Live at Al Frankie’s Jazz Club
Jacob Chung; Tyler Henderson Trio
Cellar Music CMF110924 (jacobchung.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-frankie-s-jazz-club)
New-York based saxophonist and composer Jacob Chung’s newest recording is ample proof that jazz is most certainly not going away anytime soon and that the younger generation is carrying the torch for continuing this great musical genre. Chung has gotten a group of truly skilled musicians and friends together to breathe life into this record: pianist Tyler Henderson, bassist Caleb Tobochman and drummer Hank Allen Barfield. The tracklist features a collection of well-known tunes as well as a couple penned by Henderson thrown into the mix.
Chung describes the album as “a true snapshot of four friends just playing and sharing our love for each other and the music with an enthusiastic Vancouver audience.” This friendship and love for the music clearly shines through in every note of the recording and is especially evident through how balanced and “tight” each piece sounds. The musicians are in tune with each other and share a cohesive feeling throughout the melodies and rhythms. Opening track Jeannine stands out for its catchy bass line, moving rhythms and soaring tune. Love Endures, one of the aforementioned songs composed by Henderson, is mellow yet energetic and embodies both the traditional and the modern. The fact that the recordings were made unbeknownst to the musicians during a live show is what really captures the essence of the raw passion for this music and respect for each other that this group has and holds.
