GARY VERSACE
The Band: Gary Versace~piano, Adam Kolker~saxophone, Jeremy Stratton~bass, Billy Mintz~drums
No cover. One Drink minimum. Tips for musicians encouraged.
More Posts: adventure,bandleader,club,genius,instrumental,jazz,music,piano,preserving,travel
Requisites
Scenery ~ Ryo Fukui | By Eddie Carter
This morning’s record from the library holds a special place in my heart because two Christmases ago, my nephew Kyle, knowing how much I love trio albums, introduced me to pianist Ryo Fukui. A Letter From Slowboat and Mellow Dream instantly became favorites of mine. Submitted for your consideration in this discussion is his first release from 1976, Scenery (Nadja PA-7148). It initially hit the Japanese stores that year, and his bandmates on this date are Satoshi Denpo on bass and Yoshinori Fukui on drums. My copy is the 2018 We Release Jazz Swiss Half-Speed Stereo reissue (WRJ001).
Side One opens with a jazz standard from the forties, It Could Happen To You, by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke. Ryo makes the first move with a solo introduction leading to the trio’s sprightly theme. The pianist soars cheerfully through the song’s only interpretation while his colleagues’ accompaniment keeps pace, leading to the closing chorus and ending. I Want To Talk About You is a gorgeous ballad by Billy Eckstine that starts softly with a touching piano introduction, segueing into the group’s elegant melody. As the featured soloist, Fukui delivers a reading of quiet finesse preceding the climax.
Early Summer by Hideo Ichikawa grabs the listener from the opening notes of the pianist’s introduction to the trio’s lively theme. Ryo is up first and catapults into a swinging statement. Satoshi takes flight next with an exhilarating interpretation that soars skyward until Ryo’s closing remarks lead to the theme’s restatement. Ann Ronell’s Willow Weep For Me gets the second side underway with the trio’s bluesy opening chorus. As the song’s only soloist, Fukui serves an enjoyable performance with a down-home flavor. Satoshi and Yoshinori provide the foundation before the theme’s reprise and the song’s conclusion.
I first heard Autumn Leaves by Joseph Kosma, Johnny Mercer, and Jacques Prevert many years ago on Somethin’ Else and have been captivated ever since. The trio’s version of the jazz standard opens with a brief introduction that eases into their joyous melody. Ryo’s opening statement is as comforting as a visit to an old friend. Satoshi’s contribution takes a delightful stroll toward the closing chorus. The title tune, Scenery, highlights Ryo’s ability as a composer. His gentle introduction sets the mood for the trio’s delicate melody. In the song’s only solo, Fukui creates a canvas of tender beauty complemented by Satoshi and Yoshinori’s elegant accompaniment until the theme returns.
Scenery was produced by Masataka Ito, supervised by Olivier Ducret and Stéphane Armleder, and engineered by Kunio Arai. Music Matters Mastering mastered this reissue from the original reels at half-speed. The album sounds fantastic, with a superb soundstage transporting the musicians into your listening room. The first time I listened to this album was on a rainy evening, and the music seemed to transport me to a serene, picturesque landscape. If you’re in the mood for a terrific trio album, I invite you to check out Scenery by Ryo Fukui on your next record-shopping trip. It’s worth every penny for a spot in any fan’s library and should give its owner many years of listening pleasure!
~ A Letter From Slowboat (HMV Record Shop HRLP 103), Mellow Dream (Trio Records PA-7182), Somethin’ Else (Blue Note BLP 1595/BST 81595) – Source: Discogs.com
~Autumn Leaves, It Could Happen To You – Source: JazzStandards.com
© 2025 by Edward Thomas Carter
More Posts: choice,classic,collectible,collector,history,instrumental,jazz,music,piano
The Jazz Voyager
The Jazz Voyager is flying east for another visit to the Motor City and some atmosphere and jazz at Cliff Bell’s. Starting out as a pub, turned speakeasy during Prohibition, it has become one of the premier jazz venues in the Midwest. I’m going to stop by Hitsville U.S.A. and take a nostalgic walk down the soul music memory lane before hitting the club.
I will be checking out a musician I have never heard before but is one who is keeping the tradition alive. He is a Grammy nominated saxophonist who goes by the name of De’Sean Jones and he brings his trio with him for the night. I’ll be catching the second set, as usual, just in case he decides to give anything extra.
The cover charge is $25.00 and Cliff Bell’s is located at 2030 Park Avenue, Detroit, Michigan 48226. For more information visit cliffbells.com.
More Posts: adventure,club,genius,jazz,music,piano,preserving,saxophone,travel
SUBA TRIO
Global Rhythms: Omar Sosa & Seckou Keita SUBA Trio
The Atlantic Ocean separates Cuba and Senegal, the respective birthplaces of piano virtuoso Omar Sosa and kora master Seckou Keita, a distance diminished by their shared ancestral connection to Africa.
Recorded during lockdown and released in October 2021, Sosa and Keita’s second album SUBA is a hymn to hope, to a new dawn of compassion and real change in a post-pandemic world, a visceral reiteration of humanity’s perennial prayer for peace and unity. Joining Omar and Seckou in the studio and for live performances is the inimitable Venezuelan artist Gustavo Ovalles.
Tickets: $25.00~$50.00
More Posts: adventure,bandleader,bongos,concert,genius,history,instrumental,jazz,kora,music,percussion,piano,preserving,travel,vocal
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Johnny Varro was born January 11, 1930 in Brooklyn, New York and began studying piano at the age of ten. During his teenage years, he was introduced to jazz by way of the Commodore Music Shop in New York City. There he met the manager Jack Crystal, father of Billy Crystal, who was running jam sessions on the Lower East Side. At these sessions he met Willie “The Lion” Smith, Big Sid Catlett, Joe Thomas, Hot Lips Page, Joe Sullivan, Pete Brown and others. The experience of sitting in for Joe Sullivan and Willie “The Lion” Smith was invaluable and soon allowed Johnny to become a hired player.
His first professional job was with Bobby Hackett touring the East Coast with his quartet. In 1954 he worked at Nick’s with Phil Napoleon and later with Pee Wee Erwin. In 1957 Eddie Condon asked Johnny to play at his club as intermission pianist, which led to his becoming Eddie’s band pianist.
For the next several years between the Condon tours, Varro worked most of the jazz rooms around New York City before moving to Miami in 1965 to work on the Jackie Gleason Show. He toured with the Dukes of Dixieland, then moved to Los Angeles, California, where he lived, played and toured for the next 14 years. He created the swing group covering the styles of the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s called Swing 7.
Pianist Johnny Varro, who has recorded some two dozen albums, made a final move to Tampa Bay, Florida in the early Nineties, where he continues to play jazz festivals, jazz parties and concerts around Europe and the United States.
More Posts: bandleader,history,instrumental,jazz,music,piano