Steve Smith & Buddy's Buddies
Steve Smith and Buddy's Buddiesis hardly the first tribute to the legendary jazz drummerBuddy Rich, but it is perhaps the first to bring to life the small-group aspect of Rich's enormous legacy. While previous recorded tips of the hat to Rich have focused on his influential big-band work,Buddy's Buddiesgathers some of Rich's former sidemen with superstar drummer Steve Smith for a rewarding shot of small-group jazz as intense as Rich's own work in this context. Since this is a tributetoa drummer, much of the focus here is on Smith, and given his cultlike status in musician circles (earned through his varied playing with everyone fromJourneyto his own jazz-fusion bandVital Information), it's no surprise that he doesn't disappoint--bursting out of the gate on "Nutville" with some ridiculously complex drum fills and going into hyerdrive on the super-uptempo "Airegin" for some telepathic interplay with saxophonists Steve Marcus and Andy Fusco. But it's the rest of the band that makes this far more than a drum clinic or otherwise empty nostalgia recording. Marcus's lyrical soprano solo lights up a beautifully arranged version of theBeatles' "Norwegian Wood," and the whole band swings with effortless ease on "New Blues," transforming what could have been a mere tribute album into a no-holds-barred session that stands just fine on its own--just the way Rich undoubtedly would have wanted it.--Ezra Gale