Muradian Quintet - DMQ Plays Coltrane

The Donavan-Muradian Quintet have been playing hard bop around Pasadena forever. Tenor saxophonist Chuck Manning opens their brand new all John Coltrane set with 'Liberia', the opening few notes wafting like smoke, then he gets serious. It's long been a highlight of their live set, a real cooker for Manning. Next is 'Nita', Manning and trumpeter Kye Palmer laying out the head, Palmer taking a gorgeous solo--he's got that perfect, burnished sound--then Manning takes over, quick flurries of notes carrying the melody back to the head. 'Central Park West' opens gorgeously, sax and trumpet colors atop a spare rhythm that leads into some beautiful piano from Curtis Brengle. 'Like Sonny' opens with Manning and Palmer together sounding like they've played hundreds of times together--which they have--and then Manning takes off with a lot of Trane's tone but his own ideas. Palmer gets into high note territory but always tasty, then he and Manning finish in tight circles.'Syeeda's Flute Song' is a straight ahead driver. Manning takes a passionately Trane-inspired solo on soprano, then Palmer nails the thing on flugelhorn. "Giant Steps' opens with Manning going crazy and Donavan all over the kit behind him, then Palmer and Brengle get hot and Manning comes in again, everyone taking turns in a real crowd pleaser of an arrangement. They finish up 'Some Other Blues', Larry Muradian walking the bass right down the middle and everyone stretching and comping and dropping bombs all around him. Good stuff. Once there were joints all across America with jazz like this, but not so much anymore. DMQ is a treasure. (Brick Wahl)