Personnel:
Dan Coy - guitar
Dave Webb - bass
Paul Fallat - drums
Produced by Dan Coy
Recorded Live in Atlanta, November, 1997 and March 1998.
Tracks:
Recorded live at Smith's Olde Bar, Coy and his bandmates(Dave Webb on bass and Paul Fallat on drums)deliver an entertaining set for a mostly rock audience. The tunes are well chosen, with a generous helping of Thelonius Monk thrown in. The recording captures the live sound of the club and retains a high production value.
Rhythm-a-ning opens the disc at a brisk tempo. Dan's solo is peppered with quasi-rockabilly licks and Charlie Christian-like arpeggiated runs with a slightly edgy tone. His rock background can be heard here. Great stuff.
Ba-lue Bolivar Ba-lues are is a quirky blues that loses none of its original humor or swing at the hands of the Coy trio. Bass and drums lay down a nice groove for Dan's solo, which includes both melodic chordal work and angular single line playing.
Sonny Rollins' well-known tune St. Thomas becomes a soca/mambo thanks to Webb's solid bass and Fallat's agile drumming. All three players turn in fine solos on this tune.
Killer Joe was a staple of the Benny Golson/Jazztet book and is given a respectable reading here. It's given more of a straight swing treatment than the fat backbeat usually associated with the tune. Dan's solo explores varying harmonic turf as well.
One of the best known modal tunes is Little Sunflower. Dan opens the tune with a Methenyesqe bossa vamp. Bass and drums set the perfect groove under Dan's sensitive playing. This is a beautiful rendition of a beautiful tune.
Impressions and Naima, from the John Coltrane repertoire, are given original and modern treatments by the trio. The former drives and swings without letup. Dan's solo relies on a lot of chordal work that complements the tune quite well. The haunting ballad Trane named after his daughter opens with a Steve Gadd-like groove from drums and develops into what sounds like the Doors!(Who's old enough to remember those guys?) The half time rock feel gives a fresh look at this tune and Dan's playing integrates chords and melody very creatively.
Stolen Moments, the Oliver Nelson classic, lets the trio go into the musical equivalent of Film Noir territory with Dan popping fourths and minor-major7th chords everywhere over the laid back swing groove in the back. I love to play this tune and it's evident the trio does too.
Even some Monk aficionados may not recognize Bye Ya, and I have to credit Dan for picking this one. The interplay amongst the trio is most evident here, making the band sound tight yet relaxed. Good one, Dan.
Miles is represented in Jean-Pierre, one of his most "attitude laden" tunes. The band takes on a bit of an edge in the extended intro. This is an in-your-face melody that has to be played with utter confidence. Dan does it but also with sensitivity. It's fun to hear these guys get funky here.
The CD closes with the Charlie Christian classic Seven Come Eleven. Dan may be a rocker, but he definitely knows his swing. Both in tone and playing style, he reproduces Charlie's sound admirably. This is a fitting closer for this entertaining and fun CD.
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