Anyone who has witnessed Catrin Finch at Spoleto in recent years, particularly her assault on Bach’s mightiest Toccata and Fugue, will not be surprised that the Royal Harpist to the Prince of Wales has been emboldened to transcribe the Goldberg Variations to the most cumbersome, effeminate instrument in the orchestra. She can do as she wills, and here proves herself more than merely the “Segovia of the harp,” a label affixed to a harp wizard of a previous generation. Finch takes herself beyond the self-accompanying wonders that have been achieved on harp and guitar, invading the contrapuntal domain of the harpsichord and piano.

For the most part, Finch holds her own when measured against the great piano exponents of the Goldbergs. If Glenn Gould softened the music on piano, retaining some of the harpsichord’s crispness and clarity of line, then it’s useful to describe Finch as taking the romantic polish of Daniel Barenboim’s performance and shining it even more brightly on her more ethereal harp, restoring some of Gould’s baroque freshness simply by not taking so lugubriously long about it. In doing so, she stands closest to the middle ground of Murray Perahia.

By Perry Tannenbaum

Long time ago, back in the days of JazzCharlotte, a British PR agent gushed over the talent of trumpeter Scotty Barnhart and gave me a bootleg cassette tape to bolster her boasts. She was right about Barnhart, who was even more electrifying when he performed here live than he was on the shabby bootleg.

Now there’s finally a Scotty Barnhart CD for the world to hear, Say It Plain, and I feel like I’m divulging a secret that shouldn’t have been secret nearly so long. The lineup of guest artists who showed up for these 2008 recording dates – topped by cameos from fellow trumpet aces Clark Terry and Wynton Marsalis – is an accurate gauge of the high-grade straight-ahead jazz you’ll hear throughout. Keyboard giants Marcus Roberts and Ellis Marsalis also show up separately on five of the 12 tracks, Ellis at his silky best on the Jimmy Dorsey ballad, “I’m Glad There Is You,” Roberts most memorable on “The Burning Sands,” one of five Barnhart originals.

Wynton joins Scotty on Dizzy Gillespie’s “Con Alma,” while Terry blows and sings – in his trademark mumbledy fashion – on the closing track, “Pay Me My Money,” a freshly-minted Clark/Barnhart tune. Unity Music stablemate Jamie Davis drops in for “Young at Heart,” mellow payback for Barnhart’s contributions to the singer’s Vibe Over Perfection last year.

All it takes is a few bars of “Giant Steps” to be hooked on this release as Leon Anderson, Jr., opens up on drums and a ref’s whistle. Barnhart comes in on trumpet with Todd Williams overlapping on soprano sax, and suddenly you realize that Scotty has rearranged Trane’s hardbop classic into a festive New Orleans shuffle – with Roberts applying another twist later on with a stride piano solo. Occasionally, you do get samplings of what Barnhart’s core quartet/quintet sounds like. A taste of “Put On a Happy Face” provides all the joyous reassurance you need, with Barnhart blazing and pianist Bill Peterson sounding a little like Oscar.

None other than the esteemed Stanley Crouch pontificates in the album notes, and there’s a celebration of the new Say It Plain release up in New York this Saturday evening – at the renowned Blue Note Jazz Club, where Barnhart’s quintet is scheduled to make joyful noises at midnight. Yes, it seems Barnhart has arrived. I damn sure hope he stays.

Here’s a video of “Haley’s Passage” in a longer, less artfully mixed version than you’ll hear on the CD, but with the same sextet: Scotty Barnhart (flumpet), Todd Williams (soprano sax), Rick Lollar (guitar), Bill Peterson (piano), Leon Anderson, Jr. (drums), and Rodney Jordan (bass). Camera works sucks – you never get a good look at Scotty’s flumpet – but the music is golden.

311

Uplifter

Volcano; Release date: June 2, 2009

The Deal: Now in its 21st year of existence, 311 has released its ninth studio album and first disc in four years.

Local singer-songwriter Benji Hughes is getting a lot of Love these days. The latest comes from Chuck Klosterman and a review in Esquire.

If you didn't see him last weekend at the Visulite, be sure and catch him the next time around!

Gregory Douglass

Battler

Emote Records; Release date: March 3, 2009

The Deal: Singer/songwriter Gregory Douglass releases seventh studio album, titled Battler.

The Good: The album is deeply melancholy with lots of layers. It starts with the melodic, piano-driven track "Broken Through," and leads to the album's second track "Cathedrals," which offers some loaded lyrics about religion and sex. Highlights on the  album include, "Devotion" a ballad with orchestral elements and soulful vocals (reminiscent of Gavin Degraw) from Douglass, "Day of the Battler" a chaotic mix of sounds with a melody similar to one of Fiona Apple's song concoctions, "No Apology" a short but touching a cappella hymn and "Stay" a sad, yet soothing track. In addition, kudos also are in order for guest appearances by Righteous Babe Records' Anais Mitchell on "Sadly" and soul gal Grace Potter (of the Vermont-based blues/soul/rock band Grace Potter and the Nocturnals) on the album's final track  "Ordinary Man."

The Bad: Songs on the album were decent, but didn't really possess any strong, catchy hooks.

The Verdict: Gregory Douglass' album Battler is worth checking out. It's soulful with harmonies that will take you on a ride down a melancholy road, and from time to time, it might even pick you up a little too.

CD Review: Coconut Records

Davy

Young Baby Records; Release date: Jan. 20, 2009

The Deal: The Los Angeles-based actor/musician Jason Schwartzman (You know him from his roles in movies like The Darjeeling Limited, Rushmore, I Heart Huckabees, Shop Girl and Slackers) releases sophomore album for his indie pop musical project Coconut Records.