Ray's Hat Trick

In 1989, Ron Vincent, Bill Mays and Dean Johnson met under the umbrella of Gerry Mulligan's band. They were the rhythm section that was kicking up dust and holding the band tightly in place so Mulligan could shine. Although they have played consistently together as a trio with a variety of artists, also as the long-established Bill Mays Trio, on this album they have joined forces to make a fresh, powerful statement with Ron Vincent.

When Vincent decided to establish himself as a bandleader, he called on his familiar bandmates. He added horns and the guitar of Steve Cardenas. The result is "Ray's Hat Trick." Their album opens with the Ellington composition, "Angelica."

The title tune quickly grabs my attention. It's an original composition by Ron Vincent and opens with free improvisation that develops into a groove spearheaded by Dean Johnson's bass line and Vincent's drums. The horns sing the melody harmonically, with much staccato in the arrangement. Then comes the smooth bass clarinet of Tim Armacost, who adds his rich warm improvisation to the arrangement capitalizing the "J" in jazz.

One happy-go-lucky Gerome Kern tune they "cover" is "Pick Yourself Up." I enjoyed their arrangement. This is followed by pianist Bill Mays's composition called "Still Life." It's a beautiful ballad highlighted by Cardenas on guitar, along with the clarinet and flute magic of Dave Brandom. Tim Armacost brings his bass clarinet to the party. Together, they transform this piece into chamber music.

Mays contributed a composition he calls "Mike" that the ensemble performs as a slow swing. Bassist, Dean Johnson takes a noteworthy solo on his acoustic instrument just before the trembling fingers of Mays pulse across the 88-keys. Then, Vincent offers his solo on drums.

Ron Vincent has created a joyful hour of original songs composed by himself. Other composers are band members Bill Mays and guitarist Steve Cardenas. Vincent adds songs from the Great American Songbook and throws in some jazz tunes with a piece written by Alan Broadbent called "I Hear You."

This writer would have enjoyed hearing more of Ron Vincent's drum talents that mostly remain in the background as an integral part of the rhythm section. One of my favorite tunes on this album is Vincent's composition called "Restitution," where Vincent's drums are prominent in pushing the groove forward and where the tenor sax of Armacost is king. This swinging arrangement seemed the perfect place for Vincent to solo his drum "chops." Happily, he did just that towards the fade of this song, with only Armacost's saxophone egging him on. I would have liked this tune to be the opener of Vincent's album. It's just that dynamic.