May 20, 2021
Saxophonist Greg Abate, best known for his alto prowess, adds tenor, soprano and baritone saxes, and flute, to this excellent project in an adventurous way. This two-CD project features Abate performing 14 wide-ranging tunes composed by jazz great Kenny Barron, with a trio featuring Barron on piano, Dezron Douglas on bass and Johnathan Blake on drums.
Half of the tunes feature the leader on just one horn apiece, for example, flute on the genteel ballad “Water Lily,” soprano on “Sonia Braga” from Barron’s 2012 Brazilian Knights project, and tenor on the lively opener “Sunshower” and the pensive beauty “Rain.” After the three-day studio session last September, Abate added tasteful overdubs on the remaining tunes, pairing alto and tenor on “Golden Lotus” and “Lemuria,” flute and alto on “Cook’s Bay,” then alto and bari on the closer, “And Then Again.”
The most ambitious was Abate’s treatment on two of Barron’s best-known compositions, His overdubbing created a full big-band sax section as he explored “Innocence” and “Voyage,” soloing on soprano and alto respectively. As a result, we get to hear rich riffs, interlude melodies and harmonies that reveal rich new facets that underscore Barron’s compositional prowess. And how great it is that Barron was along for the ride.
Click here to purchase “Magic Dance: The Music of Kenny Barron”
Click here for more information
Dec 13, 2017
December 12, Ken Franckling
Greg Abate got hooked on the 1950s hard-bop style that evolved from bebop, and he has made himself a career of bringing that intense sound to audiences across the U.S. and around the globe. Much like two other alto sax players with whom he has recorded, Richie Cole and the late Phil Woods, Abate developed into one of the genre’s significant modern ambassadors.
 |
| Greg Abate |
He brought that sound to the Charlotte County Jazz Society’s concert series in Port Charlotte FL on Monday, December 11, for a high-powered quartet performance. His Florida rhythm section included Richard Drexler on piano, Steve Gilmore on bass and Barry Smith on drums.
This was Rhode Island native Abate’s fifth visit to Port Charlotte in nine concert seasons – and it was memorable for the way the band clicked throughout the night. Each player got significant solo space and made the most of it.
It was a night for Abate to dig deep into anthemic bop tunes, including Tadd Dameron’s “Lady Bird,” trumpeter Lee Morgan’s “Ceora” and bebop co-founder Charlie Parker’s classic “Yardbird Suite,” as well as imprint bebop flourishes on other standards from the jazz canon. The latter tunes included “Star Eyes,” “You Don’t Know What Love Is,” “I Remember April,” “All The Things You Are” and Frank Foster’s Basie band staple “Shiny Stockings.”
 |
| Steve Gilmore |
He shifted to flute for the poignant waltz “Some Time Ago” and his original minor blues “Contemplation,” which he recorded with Woods.in 2012. “Buddy’s Rendezvous,” written for a longtime friend, was Abate’s other original tune shared at this concert.
Gilmore, who now lives in the Florida Panhandle, was Phil Woods’ bassist for 40 years. He was a wonderful inclusion in this band. His sound is both robust and melodic – and his solos are filled with creative ideas. The society’s concerts have featured many excellent bassists over the years. None have been better than Gilmore.
 |
| Richard Drexler, Greg Abate |
The band roared through versions of Sonny Stitt’s “The Eternal Triangle,” a splendid showcase for Smith’s drumming, and “Yardbird Suite,” which included terrific interplay as Abate and Drexler passed the melody back and forth several times.
 |
| Barry Smith |
The hard bop style is notable for its blistering, emotional cascades of notes – and for the soloists’ seamless inclusion of familiar melodic lines from other tunes that fit the moment.
Bands featured at the society’s December 2016 and 2015 concerts put jazz twists on holiday tunes as part of their programming. At this concert, Abate and Gilmore reversed that concept. They dropped brief melodic lines from holiday fare into at least five tunes over the course of the evening. For example, Gilmore quoted “Frosty the Snowman” and Abate followed with a snippet of “Sleigh Ride” in their solos on “Ceora.” Gilmore dropped a bit of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” into his solo on Abate’s “Contemplation.”
The concert drew about 230 attendees to the Cultural Center of Charlotte County’s William H. Wakeman III Theater.
 |
| Richard Drexler, Greg Abate, Steve Gilmore, Barry Smith |
Read the original review here
To read more about greg Abate click here
Music industry consultant and publicist Ginny Shea has garnered international exposure for her clients through radio and video promotion, print media, and her vast industry network.