Backcountry inspires 'Tetons' jazz CD
By Rebecca C. Howard
Deseret Morning News

Don't let the rustic hats and gruff appearance fool you. These two "mountain men," Brian Booth and Kevin Stout, don't carry deadly instruments — they carry jazz instruments.

Kevin Stout, left, and Brian Booth pose for their "Tales of the Tetons" CD.

Cheryl Herman
Having recorded their third album together, trombonist Stout and saxophonist Booth are looking forward to this weekend's CD release celebration concert for "Tales of the Tetons."
"We found a lot of inspiration from the beauty of that area," said Booth, "so, as we wrote the material from this new disc, we did it with specific sites or specific emotional things that took place up there in the Tetons in mind." Interestingly, it was the Tetons that initially inspired the two high school pals to collaborate professionally in the first place. "Kevin and I both went to Cottonwood High School back in the '70s, and then we both met up again at the University of Utah," said Booth.
But, he added, Stout went his own way, moving to Las Vegas and touring with the Freshman Four for eight years, while Booth stayed here.
Years later they reconnected at a high-school-band reunion concert, which featured Stout as one of the headliners. Booth asked Stout to play a gig up in Jackson Hole, and after the performance the two went for a hike. "We got up into the backcountry and talked about getting together and doing a recording and doing some things," Booth said, "and everything kind of fell into place."
He also pointed out that they've been going back up every year since then. "It's been about four or five years, but we have spent a lot of time up in the Tetons."
And in the past few years, they've also put out two CDs. "The first one climbed the charts to No. 24, entitled 'Good Pals.' The second one was called 'Up Jazz Creek,' (and) made it into the top 40 at No. 37," said Booth, clarifying that "this is the Jazz Weekly chart, where they track radio play."
Booth hopes that in the future the two will be able to break into the jazz-festival circuit.
In the meantime, there's a fourth CD in the works. "We're talking about going into the studio in April to record that disc, and we've almost got the material together to do that."
That material is primarily straight-ahead jazz, with a little Latin mixed in. "For the most part, we refer to it as 'happy jazz.' "
They also have an interesting twist with the sound combination of trombone and tenor saxophone. "We had someone that reviewed our first disc who called it a 'saxobone' because it's got a real vibrant quality that's really unique. You can tell it's a saxophone and a trombone, but the sound merges."
Booth also expressed appreciation for Music in the Box for supporting local musicians and for sponsoring this concert.

History also reveals that, a few months later and concurrent with the birth of Satchmo, the third innovation- the trumpet- succeeded beyond the caveman’s most fanciful dreams. Which is why, even today, trumpet players sit on the top risers and get all the chicks. Trombonists, wisely hidden from view, were placed in the middle of the ensemble and have learned to content themselves by suggesting to the vocalist which note might best distinguish her entrance.

Invention Number Four; the Saxophone, evolved when an inquisitive member of the clan discovered that if one were to puff mightily through a length of straight albeit worm-holed vine discarded by a sackbut builder, one could produce a sound that would frighten the wolves away from the fire. It was called it a ‘Cornet’ until a trumpet player
observed: “The name’s been taken, Ogster. ‘Cornet’ is what we call a hormonally-disadvantaged trumpet. Call it ‘Clarinet,’ Man.” Not wishing to piss off the trumpet player, whose leavings provided the rest of the tribe with chicks, he wisely acquiesced. Later, somebody bent ‘em up and covered them with gold paint to match the trumpets. A caveman-cum-critic reportedly mused, “Close the Patent Office. It’ll never get any better than this.”

The strong-arm goons, called “Band Leaders,” in an effort to obscure the trombonists from view, shoehorned the saxophone players into the front row, each heavy-laden with their sopranos, altos, tenors, and baris. And flutes and oboes and bassoons and other stuff, with their reeds soaking in a gin-filled gourd filled because, saxophonists swore, “it makes everything sound better towards the end of the gig.” Early sax sections also provided visual interest for those in the audience that found themselves easily bored.

But, lo! In the Twelfth Century B.C., two remarkable and synchronous events occurred: Charlie Parker and Carl Fontana were born fully-grown with their respective axes firmly in hand. They sprang to the front of the band, never to leave. Their ancestors, Frank Rosolino, Bill Watrous, Kevin Stout and Bob McChesney... Cannonball, Pres, Phil Woods, and Brian Booth, kept the faith.

Thus, when- in 2002- tenor man Brian Booth and trombonist Kevin Stout released their first CD; Good Pals (Jazzed5 Records), it quickly shot to the Top 25. Our reaction to the Good Pals’ rocket was less “How nice” and more “What took so long?” It remains a welcome and important addition to the literature of Mainstream and, crafty devils that they are, Messrs. Stout and Booth left us wanting... No, demanding... more.

Released in July, 2003, their second collaboration puts to rest the notion that Good Pals would be an impossible act to follow. The duo is supported by returning Rhythmeisters Joey Singer, (p); Tom Warrington, (b); and John Abraham, (d) whose collective passion and sense of time seems to have grown from the same seed.

Up Jazz Creek begins with Sleepwalker; an 8:40 foray into Medium Bounce Delightsville over the changes to “You Stepped Out Of A Dream.” The front line takes the head, followed by unrestrained, romping soli from Stout, Singer, Booth, and the nimble and ever-tasty Tom Warrington on the Stand-Up. Sleepwalker sets the sprightly, joyous tone for this date. If Stout and Booth have a few bytes of goodness in their hearts and a few Gigs of bandwidth on their servers, they’ll put a little taste of this track on their website; www.jazzed5.com.

We were in attendance at a pre-release concert that included some of tunes on this CD. When they announced “Thermal Inversion” we smirked
inwardly: “HA! You can’t fool us with that tissue of obfuscation. You’re gonna blow the changes of “Too Darn Hot” or “Heat Wave,” aren’t you?” “A Foggy Day” was their infinitely better choice. This flood of Caribbean sunshine quickly melts the mist. It’s a weatherproof showcase for nimble, extended musings of Stout, Booth, and Singer followed by Warrington and Abraham tastily trading eights.

When you’re listening to “Astral Address,” think of that timeless and storied jazz standard, The East Of The Sun-West Of The Moon Waltz. I’m not kidding. How nice, though, to drop one’s heel on One and pat on Two and Three. It’s refreshing to hear the 3/4 approach to a old musical friend. Stout is at his lyrical best.

“Hurry Up and Weight,” an up-tempo burner with rock solid unison work by the front line, is a vehicle through which pianist Joey Singer can stretch some. He tickles, nudges, slams, and slathers great walls of sound into his choruses. They could stand alone. Singer soundly reaffirms his preeminence as an adroit and gifted musician.

Booth’s 23-minute suite that gives this CD its title, begins with a 1:36 prologue that evokes the idyllic tranquility that comes while drifting, with a line in the water, in a soft-flowing stream. “Up” is a kicker thatgives the soloists some room to cast. “Jazz Creek,” Latin-tinged, laid-back, and lyrical is sublime in it’s freedom and with exquisite, flowing readings by the principals. The third Movement, “Without A Paddle,” is one in which I expected to hear the players laughing out loud. Full of happy surprises, it comprises the Suite.

The last chart on the date is “I’m Old Fashioned.” Joey Singer’s rubato intro yields to Booth’s elegantly understated reading of the head under which is Stout’s unabashedly loving and respectful tribute to Carl Fontana. In a laid-back groove, this loveable old chestnut has been freshened-up and burnished to a golden gloss. While there are no particular moments that simultaneously raise your eyebrows and tighten your sphincter, it’s a supremely relaxed and mellow treatment that bears repeating on future outings.

Mercifully bereft of the cackles, groans, and flatulence that characterized our simian ancestors’ first forays into music (and, alas, adjudicated today by undiscerning ears as being a new, hip thing), Up Jazz Creek has schooched the bar by which we measure Straight Ahead Jazz up a notch.

Having heard the Stout-Booth collaboration in concert, we are left with the opinion that the perfection of this CD comes from the fact that it’s not perfect ...with every note digitally mixed to mediocrity ...every nuance and crescendo electronically massaged to lifeless banality. It’s not been over-produced to soullessness. Up Jazz Creek comes as close to capturing the energy; the audience-artist interplay of a live performance as when we sat, with jug and picnic basket, on the gently sloping grass of an outdoor amphitheater basking in the salubrious warmth of a Las Vegas evening and the synergism crafted by five extraordinary musicians.

We confidently predict that Up Jazz Creek will return Jazzed5 to their well-deserved niche in the Top 25.

Kevin Stout, Trombone; Brian Booth, Tenor Sax; Joey Singer, Piano; Tom Warrington, Bass; John Abraham, Drums.

Sleepwalker-8:40 (You Stepped Out Of A Dream)
Eva-8:28
Thermal Inversion-6:25 (A Foggy Day)
Leora-5:26
Astral Address-5:59 (East Of The Sun, West Of The Moon)
Hurry Up and Weight-5:46
Jazz Creek Suite:
Prologue; The Fisherman-1:36
Up-6:26
Jazz Creek-6:55
Without A Paddle-8:28
I’m Old Fashioned-4:04

CD review by KEN HANLON courtesy of the Las Vegas Jazz Society

Since the advent of bebop, the combination of saxophone and trumpet has
dominated jazz almost to the exclusion of the trombone. With the exception of a
handful of trombonists led by J.J. Johnson, Frank Rosolino and our own Carl
Fontana, the technical demands of bop and subsequent style variations left many
trombonists behind. However, every now and then, a younger trombonist comes
along with the requisite chops, flexibility and technique to belong in that select
group. Kevin Stout is undeniably such a trombonist. As with all trombonists who
fall within this small talent pool, Stout has the physical equipment and musicality
to produce the fluency necessary to stand toe-to-toe with any saxophonist or
trumpet player.

He has the kind of chops that would allow him to turn around to a member of the
trumpet section of a big band who has just missed an extremely high note and say,
"Is this the note you were looking for?" And then play it! Kevin, however, is far
too modest an individual to grandstand that way. Instead, he astonishes you by
soaring well into the trumpet range with an ease that clearly establishes his
ascendancy among modern trombonists, and is also an impressive
composer/arranger, having produced three of the originals on the CD along with a
fine arrangement of "My One and Only Love."

Tenor saxophonist Brian Booth is a jazz instrumentalist with whom I was not
familiar prior to this CD (a situation that has been happily corrected). He is the
perfect musical soulmate for Stout. With a full tone that combines the edge
present in most modern saxophone sounds and the warmth of more mainstream
players, Booth produces highly satisfying musical lines that are both natural and
free flowing. He, like Kevin, is a composer, and is responsible for contributing six
captivating originals to the effort.

The album's title, Good Pals, was inspired by the long friendship that Stout and
Booth have enjoyed, dating back to their high school days in Salt Lake City.
Whether due to that friendship or a natural affinity for similar tone qualities,
Kevin and Brian produce a unison sound so focused and in tune that the resultant
quality is neither trombone nor saxophone, but a timbre that sounds like another
single instrument. Their timbral approach to unison playing is highly reminiscent
of the old J.J. Johnson Quintet that featured Belgian tenor saxophonist Bobby
Jaspar.

Good Pals has a decidedly Latin flavor with four of the ten tracks displaying a
strong Cuban or Brazilian influence. The effect of the bop style on the writing of
these gentlemen is also evident. Both emulate the compositional practice Charlie
Parker and Dizzy Gillespie favored: using the chord changes of popular standards
as the harmonic underpinnings for new melodic material. Booth uses the changes
from "Just Friends" to render the album's title tune, "Good Pals," and "Secret
Love" chord progressions for the track titled "A Confidential Infatuation." "It
Could Happen to You" harmonies underlay Stout's melodic line on his Cuban
rumba "Occurriò a Mì." And in a tip of his hat to the great Carl Fontana, Stout uses
the changes of the bop standard "Confirmation," a tune Fontana recorded with
Super Sax, for his own composition,"Por Seguro."

Stout and Booth have the good fortune to be supported by a superb rhythm
section, the members of which turn in some stellar solo work of their own. From
John Abraham's driving solo intro for the first track, "Otie's Rhythm Swing," to
the joie de vivre of Joey Singer's many solo contributions, as well as Tom
Warrington's nimble and thoughtful solo lines, this trio really cooks. Booth's solos
produce long flowing lines that could easily be mistaken as pre-composed except
for the relaxed ease of their delivery. Kevin's every solo is masterful, especially
the long, slowly building set of choruses he takes on his own "Red, White and
Blues."

While I have the highest regard for this album, I would like to have heard some
harmony and or counterpoint between the horns before the fourth track. While
the horn unisons write the book on how unisons should be performed, the
preponderance of unison heads becomes somewhat monochromatic. The horn
harmonies used in Booth's "Waltz for Natalie" or Stout's arrangement of "My One
and Only Love" provide welcome variety. Wonderful counterpoint like that
between Brian and Kevin on the out choruses of "Song for Geoffrey" and
especially "Waltz for Natalie" would have provided further variety in the texture.
However, these are minor suggestions for a truly outstanding jazz CD. With
exceptional originals, impeccably performed, and superb solos by the entire
quintet, it is a musical delight from beginning to end.

Ken Hanlon is a trombonist and professor of music at UNLV where he also serves
as director of the Arnold Shaw Popular Music Research Center.