For his own projects, Jerry Granelli largely has resisted focusing on the music of two…
For his own projects, Jerry Granelli largely has resisted focusing on the music of two of his most popular bandleaders. The journeyman drummer worked with “Peanuts” composer Vince Guaraldi in the ’60s, and began playing with Mose Allison in the ’70s, continuing to join the pianist and singer intermittently until his passing in 2016. Thankfully, Granelli has relented. On the eve of turning 80, he recruited pianist Jamie Saft and bassist Bradley Christopher Jones for an engaging set that handily connects the dots between the two composers, refracting and reflecting their work through the lens of his own more open-ended approach to music. Granelli bookends the disc with Guaraldi’s two best-known compositions. “Christmas Time Is Here,” the original 1965 recording of which featured Granelli, works beautifully as a sonic balm for the turbulence of our times. The trio taps into the poignancy and beauty of the original, with the addition of a folk-tinged improvisation by Jones and a fluttering, pensive coda. Opener “Cast Your Fate to the Wind,” which thrives on loose-limbed rhythmic momentum, is front-ended with a free-floating introduction underscored by the bassist’s bowed line, and finishes with a chill-down section. Allison’s tunes are similarly reimagined. An upended version of “Your Mind Is on Vacation” only hints at the melody, and a funky, eight-minute soul-jazz take on “Parchman Farm” stops midway through for an unaccompanied piano workout. “Everybody’s Cryin’ Mercy” — a potential 2020 theme song — is all bluesy, rootsy groove digging. And Big Joe Williams’ “Baby Please Don’t Go” benefits from Granelli’s rumbling, tumbling ministrations, Saft’s take-no-prisoners attack and Jones’ beefy solo. Granelli also scores with a pair of intriguing original compositions, “Mind Prelude 1” and “Mind Prelude 2,” which are creative, muscular duets by the drummer and Jones. — Philip Booth LISTEN OR BUY:
