Although he is the brother of the late hard bop pianist
Phineas Newborn, Jr., guitarist
Calvin Newborn has never been a major name in the jazz world. One of the problems is the fact that he has only recorded sporadically; in a perfect world,
Newborn would have a much larger catalog. Nonetheless, the guitarist has his admirers, especially in Memphis jazz and blues circles -- and those admirers will easily appreciate what he does on
Up City. Recorded in Memphis in 1996 and New York City in 1998, this hard bop/soul-jazz effort was originally released on his own label, Omnifarious Music, before being reissued by the Memphis-based Yellow Dog Records in 2005. Anyone who is familiar with
Newborn's history knows that he isn't just the guitar-playing version of his brother; both are part of hard bop, but while
Phineas could be a very cerebral pianist (
Thelonious Monk and
Bud Powell were primary influences),
Calvin definitely favors the soul-jazz side of things. From the lively arrangements to
Newborn's gritty, hard-swinging guitar solos,
Up City is a prime example of how funky and blues-minded hard bop can be. The earthiness of the blues is evident throughout this enjoyable album, which unites the guitarist with skillful improvisers like
Bill Mobley (trumpet, flugelhorn),
Bill Easley (tenor sax, flute), and
Tony Reedus (drums). Nothing groundbreaking occurs on
Up City, but
Newborn's accessible performances are consistently solid and make one wish that he hadn't recorded so infrequently over the years. ~ Alex Henderson