Search Chicago Jazz
Jazz Calendar
There are no shows posted for today. Please check back soon.
Marc Pompe - Hi-Fly
Marc Pompe – Vocals
Jodie Christian – Piano
Alejandro Urzagaste – Guitar
Dennis Carroll – Bass
George Fludas – Drums
True male jazz vocalists are quite rare, especially ones who treat their voice as an instrument rather than just singing the old standards, the same old way. Marc Pompe belongs to this latter group of musicians. His 2009 album Hi Fly consists of a mixture of lesser known bop standards and more popular ballads.
Pompe, sounding a bit like Mark Murphy, stretches out scatting and singing on such tracks as Tadd Dameron’s “Good Bait” and Thelonious Monk’s “Well You Needn’t,” using his voice almost as a baritone sax. On others, such as “Embraceable You” and “The Midnight Sun,” he sticks to intimate interpretations of the originals, and although on these pieces he is less adventurous, the smooth transition from one style to the other and back provides significant variety to the overall record. This particular quality of the disc is exemplified by the seamless blending of Dameron’s “Hot House” and Cole Porter’s “What is This Thing Called Love” into a unique and innovative medley.
The only weak spot is perhaps the relatively obscure Victor Feldman composition “Haunted Ballroom,” but even here the long instrumental interludes save the overall piece. This is primarily thanks to the leader of the four-piece rhythm section, the under-recorded master pianist Jodie Christian.
Pompe gives the instrumentalists, and particularly Christian, ample soloing space, which the latter uses to stretch out on flights of improvisations that nevertheless retain the musical signatures of the original compositions. The rest of the musicians also shine, both as section players and as soloists, though apart from guitarist Alejandro Urzagaste, the others rarely solo. The CD closes with a short yet interesting piano-vocal duet of Lionel Hampton’s “One for My Baby,” which serves as an apt conclusion to a recording that brings together two of Chicago’s creative jazz musicians.
Although not a groundbreaker, one hopes that this highly rewarding and interesting disc will bring much deserved wider recognition to both Marc Pompe and Jodie Christian.
By: Hrayr Attarian
Read More Reviews By Hrayr Attarian
Read More Marc Pompe Reviews
View Marc Pompe Bio
Read All Reviews
