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The Classics
Jon Mayer Trio

J. Robert Bragonier
ALLABOUTJAZZ.COM
March 2004

Although Jon Mayer got his start in New York in the "glory years" of jazz, he is only now just coming into his own as a jazz pianist of note. Born in 1938, Mayer was raised in Washington Heights, and after graduating from the High School of Music and Art in Manhattan in the mid- to late-'50s and briefly attending the Manhattan School of Music, he immersed himself in the thriving NYC music scene, playing with the likes of Kenny Dorham, Tony Scott, Pete (LaRoca) Sims, and Ray Draper.

He even recorded with two of the most celebrated of saxophonists: Jackie McLean (Strange Blues, Prestige/OJC) and John Coltrane, on a session known as the legendary "I Talk With The Trees" date, finally issued in 1990 as part of Coltrane's Like Sonny (Roulette). And in 1958, Mayer replaced Bill Evans in Tony Scott's quartet, that included, in addition to LaRoca, bassist Jimmy Garrison.

Mayer remained active in the '60s and '70s, playing in both New York and Europe with the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, Dionne Warwick, Sarah Vaughan and the Manhattan Transfer, and writing music recorded by Les McCann, Nancy Wilson and others. Then for all intents and purposes he disappeared from the jazz scene, not resurfacing until 1991 in Los Angeles. With a burst of energy and creativity, Mayer emerged as if from a cocoon, first with McCann's Magic Band, and then as a leader, of his own trio and a quartet he co-leads with saxophonist Ernie Watts. His debut CD, with Ron Carter and Billy Higgins, was 1996's Round Up the Usual Suspects (Pullen Music), followed in rapid succession by Do It Like This (A-Records) with Watts, Bob Maize and Harold Mason; the live recording Rip Van Winkle (Fresh Sound); and, in 2002, Full Circle (Reservoir). The Classics is his second Reservoir recording.

When I think of classics in this context, the first thing that comes to my mind is the Great American Songbook. But no; those are not The Classics this distinguished trio had in mind. These are bop and hard bop classics of the first order, composed by musicians from Miles Davis to Tadd Dameron. And yet, these are not tunes suffering from over-exposure, precipitating yawns at first mention. McLean's quirky "Little Melonae," Carter's "Souvenir," and Gordon Parks' seldom heard, lovely ballad "Don't Misunderstand" are particular cases in point.

Although clearly influenced by Wynton Kelly, Red Garland, Bill Evans, and Horace Silver, Mayer has developed a full, rich sound of his own. Throughout the album, he articulates cleanly, improvises intuitively, and swings admirably. His phrases are fluid and his lines, logical but inventive. Reid is his solid and creative best, with memorable solos on "Little Melonae," "Solid," and "Very Early." Jones, best known for his work with Roy Hargrove's quintet, lays down a solid foundation.

Jon Mayer is at the top of his game, and he's only getting better.

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The Classics
Jon Mayer Trio

Don Williamson
JAZZREVIEW.COM
February 2004

As part of the vibrant New York jazz scene of the 1950's, Jon Mayer now has recorded a CD of compositions from the jazz musicians whose careers there were contemporaneous with Mayer's. It is Mayer's belief that these tunes deserve status as jazz standards--and indeed, I would think that Miles Davis' "Solar" already is. Mayer's interpretation of them distills the essential harmonic qualities of the tunes in a clearly conceived, clearly articulated form that provides evidence why the piano trio configuration has endured throughout the past fifty years, in spite of the vagaries inherent in the evolution of jazz.

W ith solid assurance, Mayer's style, through firm command of touch and improvisational freedom within the boundaries of the tunes, remains consistent even though the imaginations of the composers he covers vary widely. For instance, the jaggedness of Jackie McLean's "Little Melonae" contrasts with the borderline Impressionism of Bill Evans' "Very Early." The balladic gorgeousness of Benny Carter's "Souvenir" varies from the walking-bass-line classic blues of Sonny Rollins' "Solid." And yet, Mayer remains consistent in the feel that he creates, establishing his own musical persona from the influences he pays tribute to on the CD.

For instance, Mayer spent his teen years listening to Benny Golson's "Along Came Betty," as he did as well Horace Silver's "Ecaroh." Mayer adopts some of the spirit of the tunes that he identified with years ago when he plays them more than four decades later. In addition, many of the elements of Mayer's matured style appears to have derived from one of his major influences, Bill Evans, and Mayer's interpretation of "Very Early" captures Evans' onrush of melody made possible by painstaking attention to the components of sound--the fine variations in force when striking the keys, the flow of the ideas musically expressed, the clarity of note production, the intensity of dynamics, the dramatic potential of rests...of silence itself when framed by Mayer's phrasing.

IIn addition, Mayer dedicates some of the tunes from a personal remembrance or an appreciation of the inner workings that make a tune special. He had seen the namesake of "Little Melonae" (nee Melonae McLean) as a child and now as a grown woman, and now Mayer performs one of the relatively rare piano trio versions of the song. In fact, it's difficult to hear the song without hearing Jackie McLean playing the melody, so closely has it become associated with him. By contrast, Mayer incorporates the theme into a performance that allows him to stretch out for multiple choruses of improvisation, rather than following the vertiginous drive of McLean. Mayer fully appreciates the way that "Ecaroh" twists through unpredictable paths before coming to the fulfillment of its conclusion, even as it is propelled by its Cape Verdean rhythm.

Backed by a top-notch bassist like Rufus Reid and an underappreciated drummer like Willie Jones III, Mayer has formed a trio of equals, allowing the other two to solo as well, rather than staying in the background while providing support. Like his previous Reservoir CD, Full Circle, The Classics provides a platform for Jon Mayer to remind listeners of his contributions to some of the classic jazz recordings during the heyday of Blue Note-style jazz--and to present his own thoughts today about the power of that music. Tracks: Solar, Along Came Betty, Little Melonae, Souvenir, Recordame, Solid, Very Early, Ecaroh, Don't Misunderstand, Voyage, Ladybird

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Pianist Mayer Scores 5 Stars (*****)
The Classics
Jon Mayer Trio

George Fendel
Jazz Scene, Oregon Jazz Society
March 2004

Jon Mayer returns to the Reservoir label with another trio outing featuring Rufus Reid,  bass, and Willie Jones III, drums.  Together they shake up the joint on a complete program of "Jazz's greatest hits."  I, for one, always welcome newly attired versions of such great lines as Solar, Along Came Betty, Solid, Voyage and Ladybird.  But there's more.  Mayer is all heart on ballads like Bill Evans' Very Early, the rarely heard Don't Misunderstand and Benny Carter's charming little sleeper, Souvenir.  Rounding out the program are Little Melonae, Recordame and Ecaroh (spell it backwards and you'll know who wrote it).  Mayer combines a touch worthy of the gods with a visionary insistence on playing only the most necessary and attractive notes possible.  His is a rare,  sure handed elegance, yet there's a seasoned assertiveness in his playing, somewhere in the Tommy Flanagan, Duke Jordan, Hank Jones bag.  But it all ends up distinctly Jon Mayer and with his compelling colleagues on board this CD will wind up as one of the best piano releases of the year. 

Don Williamson
JAZZREVIEW.COM

One might wonder why Jon Mayer is recording on Reservoirıs "New York Piano Series," Mayer having been a Southern California resident for the past 20-plus years. But the title of the CD explains all of that. With thin red circles containing the word "Circle", the name "Jon" and then the musician himself on the front of the liner notes, it turns out that Mayer has returned to the city where he started his career in jazz. A career that was unfortunately insufficiently documented at the time, but that included recordings with John Coltrane, Jackie McLean, Kenny Dorham and Chet Baker, among many others.

Well, now, Mayer is back to reclaim the recognition that eluded him. And on Full Circle , we find a pianist whose years of experience and boundless talent have reached the matured expression that is identifiable as a fully rounded professional. One who has performed countless gigs, endured the inevitable frustrations of a jazz career, and prevailed with optimism and his supreme technique intact.

Mayer's style is entirely his own, and it contains a confident richness that involves close attention to the internal voicings of his chords. Unlike the bebop pianists who jab with the left hand and scamper with the right, and unlike some of the more recent contrapuntally based jazz pianists, Mayer concentrates on a fullness of sound as both hands extend the harmonic possibilities of the moment. In turn, he moves the listener through a tune with aplomb.

Not only that, but Mayer's decision to record in New York availed him of two of the most appropriate practitioners of jazz bass and drum: Rufus Reid and Victor Lewis. Having done the piano trio gig many times before, the three of them immediately lock in, and the effect is that of a group that has been performing for years, such is their intuitive ability born of years of work. While the pleasures afforded by the trioıs version of "I Should Care" (which perhaps intentionally invites comparisons to the famous Bill Evans version) would be enough to relax the most stressed listener, the unexpected lagniappe of can-be-none-other-than-Rufus-Reidıs solo, assertive in the way he pulls the strings and inviting in a melodic context, raises the delight meter even higher.

In contrast, Mayer takes "Falling In Love With Love" as an up-tempo romp, even as he remains wholly in control, emphasis placed upon the notes at the ends of the phrases. And once again, the tightness of the group helps the execution succeed with a version that would fall apart in lesser hands. The same is true of "Stolen Moments," during which the choices of notes are close to those of the original version, particularly the near dissonances of whole-tone spacing, even as Mayer uses the freer middle section as an occasion for developing his solo.

The warmth of Mayerıs chords heighten the mystery of Mayerıs tune, "Full Circle," on which he chooses just the right notes to convey preciousness and modulation, Mayer never in a hurry to resolve the tensions of his unresolved chords. J.J. Johnson's masterpiece of a composition, "Lament," especially appropriate to Mayerıs touch, provides the opportunity to expand upon its urgency with subdued dramatic flair through the initial rubato section.

By coming full circle, Jon Mayer, after years of working with some of the higher-profile artists of Los Angeles, has returned to his roots, recollecting upon where his career began and offering a lifetime of insights within his playing. Tracks: Round Up The Usual Suspects, Night And Day, Day Dream, For All We Know, From Now On, Full Circle, Stolen Moments, Falling in Love With Love, Lament, I Should Care

Don Williamson
JAZZREVIEW.COM