Bill Allred is an accomplished veteran trombonist who spent a good part of his career working at Disney World and serving as entertainment director at Rosie O'Grady's, though he has crossed paths with many jazz greats on live dates and record dates. These 2009 sessions feature him with some of his favorite New York-based musicians, several of whom are in constant demand, like guitarist
Howard Alden, bassist
Nicki Parrott, and cornetist
Warren Vaché. Pianist Jeff Phillips, drummer
Ed Metz, and
Bill's son
John Allred (who is also a fine trombonist) round out the excellent personnel. While many of the songs are decades-old warhorses, each is approached with a fresh look. The snappy interplay is a highlight of the brisk reading of
George Gershwin's "Liza," while the Latin hook added to "Angel Eyes" and
Allred's whimsical muted horn add a nice touch. The two
Allreds shine in the bop setting of "Lullaby of Broadway" and the Dixieland favorite, "Ida! Sweet as Apple Cider." The leader shares the vocals with
Parrott in
Dave Frishberg's humorous "I Want to Be a Sideman." This is an all-around enjoyable disc that will please fans of mainstream jazz. ~ Ken Dryden