If the name Denny Seiwell is familiar then this is why. Having played with the crème de la crème of the jazz elite, Siewell received an invitation from Paul McCartney to move to London and become a founding member of the post-Beatles phenomenon Wings, playing on the Ram, Wildlife and Red Rose Speedway albums as well as contributing to some of that era’s biggest hits, including “My Love” and the Oscar-nominated “Live and Let Die”, to name two.
This is the trio’s second album after their 2011 release, Reckless Abandon. Boomerang finds Seiwell once more returning to his jazz roots accompanied by John Chiodini on guitar and Joe Bagg on organ. The album contains a mix of originals and covers including Eddie Harris’s “Cold Duck Time”, the Cahn/Styne standard “I Fall in Love Too Easily” and a return to the McCartney classic “Live and Let Die”. Chiodini and Bagg contribute a further three tracks each. The playing by all three musicians is masterly and it is a pity that they are not a bit more prolific on the recording front.
Denny Seiwell may be the band leader but unlike most drummer/leaders he doesn’t hog the limelight. His playing is neither under- nor overstated but just right for the performance. John Chiodini’s semi-acoustic guitar playing is as good as you’re are likely to hear anywhere and reminds me of Anthony Wilson. Joe Bagg’s Hammond B3 organ playing is a masterclass performance.
This is trio playing at its best. Maybe the album title Boomerang heralds an early return to the recording studio. Let us hope so.
Discography
Cheetahs & Gazelles; Amber; Live & Let Die; Curumim; Midnight Meatballs; April Child; I Fall in Love Too Easily; Muster the Gumption; Cold Duck Time; Cascades of the 7 Waterfalls, Baby Mama; Dropping Darkness (53.11)
Seiwell (d); Joe Bagg (org); John Chiodini (g). Hollywood, USA, 2018.
Quarto Valley Records 0110
