By Marilyn Lester***It’s always a pleasure when a talented sideman (or woman) steps out front as a leader. Such is the case with Dan Glass, who, among many stellar credits, has been the long-time drummer for Jim Caruso’s Ca
st Party and who can be seen sitting at the kit for stars such as Mariyn Maye. In a recent gig at Birdland Theater, his trio included a regular—bassist Michael O’Brien—with guitarist Adam Levy subbing for Sean Harkness (who has been with The Daniel Glass Trio since its inception in 2016).
What these top-flight players let loose with was a rhythmic holiday full of swinging eclecticism. A well-curated, smartly-paced set featured original material and creative arrangements of jazz classics. Glass himself is not only personable and delightfully charming, but he knows his way around a drum set backwards and forwards, as one might expect of this A-list player, educator and historian whose resume includes a who’s who of jazz. Glass not only has an impeccable sense of timing and phrasing in his technical toolkit, but plenty of soul to go along with it.
Although the players all shared handsomely in the musical presentation, Levy was out front as the cat leading on melody. The guitar-bass-drum combo is not so much a jazz configuration as it is rock-n-roll, going as far back as the 1950s and Buddy Holly. So, without a piano, it’s up to the guitarist to anchor melody. In Levy, the tip of the hat was to a blues-funk style, evident in the opener, “I Love Paris” (Cole Porte
r). Wondrously, Levy’s arrangement let O’Brien and Glass solo with melodic contributions of their own. One of the boons of a trio such as this is that it allows the players of what are basically timekeeping instruments to show how much more they can do. And off the bat, Glass demonstrated his versatility and mastery of the kit by using a combination of sticks and brushes to produce sounds that amounted to a tour of every part of his drum set.
An outstanding reinterpretation of “Smoke on the Water” (Blackmore/Gillan/Glover/Lord/Paice), the 1972 rock hit by Deep Purple, opened with haunting
bowing by O’Brien, who then moved into what can only be described as “stride bass,” with both hands producing independent yet harmonic sounds. Glass, putting aside sticks, played the toms, with a pass to the snare, before moving into full drumming. A swinging waltz tempo arrived in the closer, the cleverly named “The Crippled Waltz” (Eldad Tarmu), with tempo changes applied as the traditional waltz beat became more and more compositionally altered.
Originals included O’Brien’s “Lady Bug,” with a driving beat that spotli
ghted Levy’s full-bodied, choreographic dynamism as a player. Glass premiered his folk rock-based ballad “Heaven Knows,” music and lyrics, with guest performers Holly Bean and Izze Stein offering backup vocals to Glass’ (yes, he sings!) bright, nuanced tenor. Stein also sang Glass’ “The World Still Turns Around,” the lyric based on a post-WWI poem that moved him. The affecting tune is in the troubadour style, much like the deep works of Joni Mitchell or Leonard Cohen.
To explore more of The Daniel Glass Trio, the group has released a new album, BAM!, available on streaming services and for purchase on Amazon and elsewhere where CDs are sold.
