Northcoast Jazz Collective - Cleveland Splendor
by Leon Bibb, Newscaster, WEWS-TV5, Cleveland, Ohio
At seventeen, I bought my first jazz album. It was Oscar Peterson’s “West Side Story.” I have not been
the same since. It changed my life and jazz still excites me. When I listened to the third CD of the
Northcoast Jazz Collective, I was thrilled in the same manner I was when the rhythms of Oscar Peterson’s
group flowed around me.
Dan Maier on keyboard, Mark Grey on drums, Dave Frank on saxophones and flute, and John Gallo
on bass have a special way with everything they play. “Busy Beaver” swings nicely with Frank’s robust sax.
Underneath, Grey, Maier and Gallo keep the rhythm section moving, laying down a nice, swinging groove.
Collectively, their music evokes thoughts of other great quartets I have heard, even those which
grabbed my attention in my teenage years.
On “Calm,” the NJC takes flight, spurring visions of flying the skies in a sailplane. No motor; just
towed on a cable by a powered airplane to an altitude where the cable is released and, alone, we ride the
rising warm air lifting from the ground. On “Calm,” Dave Frank’s flute keeps us suspended. The rhythm
section helps give lift to Frank’s flute.
On “Choo-Choo Maria,” Dan Maier’s keyboard and Dave Frank’s sax play note-for-note with each
other. Then Maier takes off in his solo, driving and sweet, yet powerful with the rest of the group running
with him along the same stretch of track like a locomotive hauling all that train behind it.
At a junction comes Frank’s sax. It is sweet as the two meet at the crossroads and the
keyboard supports the sax just as the sax earlier had supported the keyboard.
“Blues for Rochester,” reminds me of music I heard in clubs in Cleveland when the
cigarette smoke was thick and the bartenders were heavy-handed with the liquor. In “Blues for
Rochester,” I could hear Jimmy Smith on the organ – sweet, smoky, and soooo nice.
“Free Ornette.” Frank’s soprano sax kicks it off nicely. The piece sounds like a freedom
dance – light an airy.
“Judy” is a lovely ballad, written by Gallo for his wife. It evokes in me a time when all was
well with the world and, because of young love, the stars were all aligned. So tender is the flute.
It is almost haunting. Gray, Maier, and Gallo lay back just enough, keeping Frank’s flute in the
forefront.
When Maier’s piano is in the solo spotlight, the stars align again. Gallo, who laid out during
the first part, then brings his deep resonate bass voice to the forefront, setting up for the flute to
take the lead again, crying beautifully.
“Blues Fort” swings out with all the guys driving on all cylinders. Theirs is a big car with
a finely-tuned engine. We ride along, peering in the rear mirror, watching the white lines blur
behind us in an up-beat tempo. The solos are sweet and individual, yet their never stray from
the melody. Maier, Frank, Gallo, and Grey bring it home full-throttle.
These cats of the Northcoast Jazz Collective really know jazz. They fill the air with their
electricity. “Hurry Up Waltz” is in three-quarter time, but no waltz has ever had as much soul.
Mark Grey is a killer on the drums on “The Rambler.” His sticks echo Max Roach, one of
be-bop’s innovators. Here, the NJC rides the same wave. Their music harkens back to New
York’s 52nd Street when a few guys named Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and Charlie Parker
created a new sound and drove it hard.
In “Nance,” there is that lovely flute again. The piece goes down like a good brandy ----
sweet , but full bodied. When you drink this one, let it lay on your tongue for a moment or two.
“Diddley Squat” is an up-tempo piece where John Gallo on the bass is simply magnificent.
He leans into that standup bass and finds its resonate voice in the strings and wood. Dave
Frank’s soprano sax leads us into the next turn in the road as the quartet wails.
“Ear Food,” aptly named, sooths my ears and my soul. There is a mystical quality in Maier’s
keyboard, which is soft and gentle. When he and John Gallo are in the spotlight, keyboard and
bass dance together, Dave Frank’s flute keeps it light, almost feathery.
“Ay Caramba” is a dance of celebration. Certainly, this CD by the Northcoast Jazz Collective
is worth celebrating. Nice Latin rhythm with a strong solo from Frank’s sax. It all blends together
under the steady hands of a masterful drummer, Mark Grey.
This third CD from the Northcoast Jazz Collective is, in itself, a tribute to the wonderful art
of jazz. Listening to it, I relive my early days when I fell in love with jazz. Yet, the music is as
fresh as this morning’s sunrise. These guys swing nicely, but also know how to lay back and let
the music breathe.
I grew up listening to great music in Cleveland. When I was old enough to walk into jazz
clubs, I found art which touched my soul. .
After you listen to this CD by the Northcoast Jazz Collective, my advice is to hit “replay”
and do it all over again. These guys -- Dan Maier, Mark Grey, Dave Frank, and John Gallo --
are absolutely masterful. Their music will take you places where you will want to go again and
again.