Reach Out! - Hal Galper Quintet

Jul

23

Reach Out! - Hal Galper Quintet

≡ Category: 1970s, Highly Recommended, Post Bop, Reviews |
≅ Written by: Michael Kydonieus

JAZZBO NOTES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED RECORDING

Rating:

In the late 70s, Hal Galper had the misfortune of playing in a modal style very similar to that of McCoy Tyner, who basically owns that style. Plus, Galper can be a little sloppy at times, which relegates him to the 2nd level of jazz pianists in my mind.

However, it is hard to argue with the brilliance of the post bop quintet he assembled in 1976.

You’ve got to give Galper a lot of credit for selecting Randy and Michael Brecker for these dates. (Galper had worked with both brothers on Randy Brecker’s 1969 debut release Score, so it wasn’t completely out of the blue.) Although famous for the R&B fusion outfit The Brecker Brothers and for their extensive studio work, neither brother was known for their ability to play post bop.

On Reach Out! (released on the Steeplechase label), Randy Brecker reveals himself to be one of the finest post bop trumpeters of that period, or any period for that matter, reveling in outside harmonies and a chromatic approach to the trumpet. Michael Brecker’s approach is much more romantic, although he can blow chord substitution lines on tenor sax with the best of them. He also acquits himself quite well on flute.

But the real find here is the under recorded Wayne Dockery on bass. He has a beautiful, round tone, he swings like mad, and his note choices are always tasty. On Children Of The Night, he pulls off one of the knottiest bass solos I’ve ever heard.

Galper himself, while not quite having the chops to pull off all of his ideas cleanly, is nonetheless a stimulating player. His solos and comping bristle with invention.

Billy Hart on drums keeps the energy high and maintains the form of the tunes, which is a good thing because his colleagues are all over the place. Somebody has to mind the store.

The tunes on Reach Out!, mostly Galper originals, don’t hold up that well over repeated listens, but they provide plenty of ammunition for the solo flights of the Breckers and Galper himself.

Reach Out! may not be perfect, but the band is slammin’, and the compositions, although they might not be timeless, provide an adequate springboard for some high-powered post bop, and that’s more than enough.

Note: Unfortunately, samples from Reach Out! were not available, but samples from a live recording of this same band, Children of the Night, were, so here you go: