Two with Alvin Queen

Justin Time

As a pupil of Elvin Jones, Alvin Queen earned an advanced degree in propulsive drumming at an early age, even sharing the stage with Coltrane on the occasion of the saxophonist’s seminal Birdland date in 1963. Years later as an expatriate musician still struggling to be heard on his own terms, he followed the path of several of his peers in starting his own label. The Justin Time reissue subsidiary Just a Memory has recently returned a pair of albums to circulation that serves as a reminder of his talents as leader and sideman. Queen’s style presents an assemblage of influences, but the most prominent facet is his dedication to not overplaying or eclipsing his band mates.

Comprised of young and aging lions, Queen’s Jammin’ Uptown from 1985 takes the scene described by its title seriously. The roll call includes trumpeter Terence Blanchard and trombonist Robin Eubanks, two players loosely associated with the Marsalis dynasty of the time. Near contemporaries of Queen, pianist John Hicks and bassist Ray Drummond have a number of years on their colleagues but lack none of the brio or skill. Saxophonist Manny Boyd, a former sideman of Bobby Hutcherson, handles his duties via the three principal emissaries of his instrument family and also contributes two tunes among them the swaggering title track. Hardbop typical to late Sixties Blue Note is order of the hour with the opening Blanchard-scripted “Europia” feeding off a tight horns-driven head and Queen’s stop time pivots. Direct parallels to the Jazz Messengers band are no accident and though tracks appear resequenced from the source vinyl the program still holds a cohesive feel.

Eubanks’ “After Liberation” and Hicks’ “Mind Wine” work of similarly parceled arrangements with the focus again on up-tempo soloing and steady swinging rhythmic support. Queen revels in the structured ebullience, his sticks churning out a crisp beats and finely tuned fills alongside the occasional solo sortie. “Resolution of Love” represents the lone ballad turn with lush horn harmonies before a return to full band sprint on the finale “Hassan”. Sandwiched into the original album program, “Hear Me Drummin’” offers a non-contemporaneous interlude from a 2002 Croatian gig with Queen sparring enthusiastically with a conguero Hrvoje Rupcic. Though the sequencing is a shade suspect, the conversation comes off well. The session proper relies a bit too much on convention for my tastes, but the perspiration that peppers Queen’s countenance on the cover ends up well earned.

Justin Time

Queen has participated in numerous organ dates throughout his career. Soul Connection falls under the able helm of organist John Patton and stands out in the sideman side of Queen’s catalog both for the caliber of employer and the winsome manner in which the drummer responds in kind. Though originally released in 1983, the session is a direct extension of Patton’s late Sixties work for Blue Note on such platters as Accent on the Blues and Memphis to New York Spirit. The five tunes pull in strong elements of hardbop alongside the expected titular ingredients. Instrumentation deviates from the usual soul jazz format with the presence of Grachan Moncur III’s trombone. Tenor saxophonist Grant Reed, a Booker Ervin disciple with reed colored liberally by post-Coltrane effects, and funk jazz guitar icon Melvin Sparks complete the crew.

The opening title cut works off a deep modal groove and finds the five establishing their collective footing. Patton rolls out a cascade of swirling sustains and staccato accents, the epitome of confidence. Queen keeps a pulsing rhythm alive and well beneath the ensuing solos though Moncur III inexplicably sits the order out. The sun-dappled “Pinto” sounds dated and slightly perfunctory by comparison. Patton still manages to thread in some menace through rich indigo comping under the robust tandem horn play. Sparks assumes the early lead on the nursery rhyme-structured “Extensions”, channeling Grant Green through a spate of twangy single note runs. Two classic selections from the Moncur III songbook occupy the entirety of Side B and the trombonist doesn’t disappoint on either one. Sparks is also effective on both spinning out densely picked statements that once again draw direct comparisons to Green. Fans of Patton will want to snap this set up, but the merits of the other band members make it equally worthy of consideration. The royal treatment accorded Queen by these reissues is certainly warranted.

~ Derek Taylor