There is never one moment during
Bang! that one doubts
Frank Catalano can blow the roof off of any establishment while playing his tenor. He is a powerful player with an intense tone who, while hinting in spots at
Stanley Turrentine, latter-day
Sonny Rollins, and various funk tenors, has his own sound and approach. At the time of this recording
Catalano was 29 years old, but had begun his career 12 years earlier playing with organist
Charles Earland. After touring with
Santana, he became the youngest solo artist to sign with the Delmark label (he was 19). Since then, he has not only worked with a who's who of Chicago jazz but also
Clark Terry,
Arturo Sandoval,
Tony Bennett,
Tito Puente,
David Sanborn, and even
DJ Logic. One of the first jazz artists in a long time signed to Savoy,
Catalano tears into the opening selection of this CD ("Bang!") and never looks back. He dominates and sometimes nearly tears apart the music whether it be a simple funk piece, a relatively brief "Footprints," or "My One and Only Love." While his flute feature on "Night Moves" gives you a chance to catch your breath and "Later" is a throwaway funk novelty, most of the other selections exclusively feature his high-powered tenor with his rhythm section cast mostly in a supportive role. While much of the material is not all that memorable (he needs more challenging material),
Frank Catalano certainly gives it his all. ~ Scott Yanow