Ray's Hat Trick

After 50 years in the music business, and many recordings as a sideman, Ron Vincent is making his debut as a leader. For Ray's Hat Trick, Vincent has tapped frequent collaborators in pianist Bill Mays, bassist Dean Johnson, and guitarist Steve Cardenas, as well as woodwind players Dave Brandom, Tim Armacost, and Matt Garrison. All the cuts have Vincent's easy-going sense of swing. "Angelica" is a nice playful opener, "Dear Old Stockholm" features Ron's tasteful brushes, and a nice brush solo. The brushes (and an extended brush solo) remain for Ron's arrangement of Jerome Kern's "Pick Yourself Up" with the woodwinds supplying the melody. Vincent show's his arranging skills again on Duke Pearson's "Is That So?" Cardenas sounds smooth as ever on his ballad, "New Moon," and bassist Dean Johnson shines as well. Ron Vincent's original "Restitution" is the centerpiece of the record, and Armacost's bass clarinet steals the show. Vincent supports Bill Mays' solo with extreme taste, which is followed by an exciting sax and drums duet which leads to a drum solo that brings us back to the top. Denzil Best's "Wee" closes out the record with a nice intro from Vincent, and a nice bass solo from Johnson. This cut has us back to the core quartet
for a swinging conclusion (and another nice arrangement and solo from Vincent.) This is a nice easygoing recording, and Vincent shows why he is an ever-present and popular sideman in the jazz world.