| Jazz |
John Herberman is a multiple-time nominated film music composer, as well as a composer and producer for the Avalon and Solitudes labels, with 45 albums to his name and record sales for both labels worldwide.
Like everyone during the Covid period, John Herberman found himself face to face with himself and took the opportunity to return to his “roots” and his passion for late 1950s and early 1960s jazz with the Canadian release of his first independent jazz album titled “Overheard On a Park Bench” in 2021. Since then, several tracks from this album have been regularly played on Canada’s national jazz radio station, JazzFM 99.1.
“Springs Comes Early” is the second album following this artistic endeavor, showcasing John Herberman’s piano and Scarbee Rhodes talents. His jazz is inspired by the jazz of the 1950s but is deeply in tune with the 21st century, where he finds boundless energy. It allows us to fully appreciate his work as a composer and arranger, where we can feel his passion for artists like Miles Davis, Ahmad Jamal, and Bill Evans.
Of course, in terms of style, there are moments when you can also feel a cinematic quality, which suits this kind of work perfectly and takes us back to the black and white cinema of the 1950s. You can easily imagine Humphrey Bogart, cigarette in hand, driving a car in the mist of a winter night.
So, this album embodies an entire culture, a unique and exciting endeavor, rather joyful, offering some particularly delightful instrumental solos. You would have to be quite hard to please not to appreciate such an album.
The excellence of the artists present on this album deserves to be highlighted: John Herberman: piano, Scarbee Rhodes Mark 1, Vern Dorge: soprano, alto and tenor saxophone, Kevin Turcotte: flugelhorn, John McLeod: trumpet & flugelhorn, Mark Eisenman: piano (solos: 1, 3, 5, 7), Eric St. Laurent: electric guitar, Mark Duggan: vibraphone, Paul Novotny: acoustic and electric bass (1-3, 6, 8), Pat Kilbride: acoustic and electric bass (4, 5, 7), Mark Kelso: drums, percussion (2, 4-8), Ted Warren: drums (1, 3), Eric Cadesky: percussion, Margaret Maria: cello.
An absolute must-have! Certainly, if you are a fan of 1950s jazz or if beautiful compositions and arrangements fascinate you.
Thierry De Clemensat
USA correspondent – Paris-Move
Editor in chief Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, October 20th 2023
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