Mark Boling Evidence CD

with Boling's delightful solo. The leader kicks off "'Round Midnight" unaccompanied, adding his own dissonant but elegant touches in this frequently recorded landmark jazz composition. "Fungii Mama" has a calypso flavor reminiscent of Sonny Rollins' "St. Thomas." Boling avoids the predictable path to introduce Jerome Kern's "All the Things You Are" -- instead of choosing Dizzy Gillespie's famous B flat theme to venture into this standard, he comes up with a fresh vamp of his own, then segues seamlessly into its famous theme. It is obvious that these three musicians have worked together frequently during their time at the University, as every track seems to come together effortlessly, swinging all the time. Warmly recommended. ~ Ken Dryden

"We've often heard that music is a mirror of the musician's soul. The music you are about to hear needs no introduction. Like all great music it is honest, of the highest integrity and can take you many places. Also it is music that embraces the past and suggests new ideas for the future." - Donald Brown (from the liner notes).The Mark Boling Trio's debut recording, entitled "Evidence," is documentation of an improvisational musical unit that has worked together on a regular basis for over 15 years. Mark Boling (guitar), Keith Brown (drums), and Rusty Holloway (bass) have continued to grow and blossom as individual musicians, and as a unit. The intuitive communication evident in this recording of the trio is a result of many nights of shared musical adventures on the bandstand. Their level of understanding and communication may also be attributed to many days of coaching students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where all three are members of the jazz faculty. The 12 tracks on the CD include 3 originals and 9 arrangements of standards. The moods of the tunes range from the swinging blues of Wes Mongomery's "The Thumb," to Donald Brown's fresh jazz waltz, "A Diamond in the Rough," to a fast samba version of "It Might as Well Be Spring," to Boling's up-tempo, contemporary, modal piece "Therapetic." The selections also include a calypso version of Blue Mitchell's "Fungii Mama," and a solo guitar arrangement of Thelonious Monk's haunting, beautiful "Around Midnight."

With all of the attention seemingly focused on major-label releases, jazz fans often overlook talented musicians who devote a good portion of their careers to jazz education. Guitarist Mark Boling, along with bassist Rusty Holloway and drummer Keith Brown, have been teaching jazz at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville (along with pianist and ex-Art Blakey sideman Donald Brown, who contributed the liner notes) since the late 1980s. Even though this marks Boling's debut recording as a leader, he comes across as a seasoned, confident player who is interested in exploring a wide variety of standards and classic jazz compositions. Wes Montgomery's infrequently performed blues "The Thumb" is in good hands with Boling's spirited interpretation. Brown switches to brushes for a funky treatment of "Robbin's Nest," which finds the trio in a solid groove. Their extended workout of "Secret Love" sparkles

Personnel: Mark Boling (electric guitar); Rusty Holloway (double bass); Keith Brown (drums).