African Tarantella Personnel: Stefon Harris: vibes, marimba, Xavier Davis: piano, Derrick Hodge: bass, Terreon Gully: drums, Steve Turre: Trombone, Anne Drummond: flute, Greg Tardy: clarinet, Junah Chung: viola, Louise Dubin: cello. Tracks: 1. Thanks for the Beautiful Land on the Delta 2. Portrait of Wellman Braud 3. Bourbon Street Jingling Jollies 4. Sunset and the Mocking Bird 5. The Single Petal of a Rose 6. Memoirs of a Frozen Summer 7. African Tarantella 8. Dancing Enigma (Tracks 1-3 are Ellington/Strayhorn compositions from “The New Orleans Suite”; tracks 4 & 5 are Ellington compositions from “The Queen’s Suite”; tracks 6, 7, & 8 are from “The Gardner Meditations” by Stefon Harris)

Stefon Harris

The subtitle to this CD could be “Elegance Revisited” -- I hear the Ellington persona clearly through the performances and arrangements. There is a quiet beauty and gentleness to this session which echoes those of the Ellington and Strayhorn years; and yet the style of Stefon Harris’s playing and writing is uniquely his. And the use of a small chamber group here makes the music all the more intimate.

In addition to Mr. Harris’ arranging and compositional talents, his vibes playing is a high point on the CD. One can hear the Bobby Hutcherson influence, but also the qualities of Milt Jackson. Stefon is very comfortable playing over chord progressions of considerable difficulty with an ease and lilt that sounds completely effortless, and his improvisations are graceful, polished and thoughtfully conceived.

The first track, “Thanks for the Beautiful Land on the Delta”, a Duke gem in C minor, is richly orchestrated with a fullness that sounds like a much larger group than is actually present on the session – this is due to the arranging talents of Mr. Harris. The rhythmic underpinning has a kind of subtle ambiguity in the statement of the theme. One comes away from listening to this (as well as the other selections) with the notion that maybe Duke had an invisible hand on Stefon’s pen. This track features a masterful improvisation by Stefon on vibes. Listen for the pizzicato strings and a great solo by clarinetist Greg Tardy.

“Portrait of Wellman Braud”, a piece in 12/8 and a Bb minor blues progression, features some Duke type voicings and some Tricky Sam Nanton playing by Trombonist Steve Turre. A piano/bass line serves as a foundation for the theme. Stefon takes a soulful vibes solo over a nicely swinging rhythm section as the tune goes into a straight four feel – with a swap to a Bb major blues – and back to Bb minor for the restatement and out with a solo bass cadenza (Derrick Hodge).

“Bourbon Street Jingling Jollies”, a minor tune with an initial Bb minor to Eb minor theme, is simply but effectively stated by vibes with a muted ensemble background, and then in unison with flute (Anne Drummond) – a lovely arrangement and well played. “Sunset and the Mocking Bird” features the rhythm section and vibes. Both vibes and piano state the melody (shades of Duke) to the full ensemble sound. The rhythmic feel briefly touches upon a straight four and then shifts a straight eighth one. The mixing on the session is excellent; you can hear everything from the pianist’s octaves to the flute and other instruments in a well balanced blend. Engineers Joe and Mike Marciano did a superb job.

The delicate “The Single Petal of a Rose” in the rich key of Db major is quite esoteric -- the notes fairly float upon the lithe rubato statement of the melody by vibes utilizing the breadth of the instrument with only the cello and bass providing background. This is such a “Duke” sounding composition, with its recurring melodic phrase of Ab, Eb, F over Dbmaj7. Stefan drops a faint #11 on the final chord - nice. This segues into Stefon Harris’s composition “Memoirs of a Frozen Summer”. The piece is melodically sumptuous and grandly orchestrated. The vibes solo by Mr. Harris is a high point here while it soars over a sustained and lushly voiced ensemble. One can hear the more contemporary harmony displayed in gentle contrast to Duke’s material – like a microscopic musical evolution within a CD. For me, the arrangement conjures up idyllic images and pastoral landscapes; listen to the impeccable intonation of the ensemble.

The title tune, “African Tarantella”, a 6/8 piece in Eb minor composed by Stefon, is a potential for a jazz standard; this is contemporary writing at its best. Included is another classy arrangement and a swinging, inventive, and technically inpressive piano solo by Xavier Davis. It is followed by a Stefon Harris solo over straight four time – his technique is readily apparent and nicely executed along with very musical lines. There is a transition back to 6/8 and the theme and a brief tantalizing Picardy third on the coda (Eb sus to Eb maj to B over Eb inducing the minor sound again).

The closer “Dancer Enigma” has the flute and clarinet stating the melody rubato starting in unison and then into octaves along with the trombone. The piece has a basic 12/8 swing feel with dynamic changes in tempo and rhythmic feel. Stefon plays a solo over an ostintato pattern which builds tension – then breaks into a straight ahead four feel with a lean swinging rhythm section. Here is another example of Mr. Harris’s technical and musical prowess. A nice samba feel drops in briefly before the recapitulation with some orchestral beauty, tempo changes, and a final fade. This track is a nice study in how different time signatures and arranging acumen can elevate a piece musically.

There is also a ninth track not listed in the liner notes, but is a short musical epilogue which pretty much sums up the theme and quality of the entire CD.

Stefon Harris’s arranging and compositions are on a par with his vibes playing – all of which meld magically on this CD to produce some of the best music you will hear anywhere. I know Duke and Stray would have loved it.


John Ferrara
January 2007