| After seven decades of music making
pianist and composer Bob Acri has seen it all and played it all. His resume
includes time spent as the staff pianist for the ABC/NBC Orchestra as well as backing the
likes of Lester Young, Louis Armstrong, Sarah Vaughn, Mel Torme, Barbara Streisand and
Carmen McCrae to name a few. But that was then, this is now. On Timeless: The Music of
Bob Acri on the Southport label, the pianist brings forth a collection of original
works in a myriad of song forms from the blues to up tempo swing numbers and even a fugue
thrown in for good measure.
Acri is accompanied ably on the recording by his
sons Jim and Bob Jr., each on drums and percussion, Ted Schmuldt on guitar and Scott Mason
on bass. However, the individual musicianship of the participants, including their leader,
always takes a backseat to the tune at hand. There are few extended solo workouts here-
most solos are in and out in about two choruses. The longest track is "Bossa Nova
Viejo" which clocks in at 8:40. Most tunes hover somewhere in the three to five
minute mark- a welcome return to the concise days when musicians were making records
rather than CDs.
Melody is always at the forefront of the
business at hand throughout the recording. The opening "Tribute to Buddy" is an
up tempo swing tune based on "rhythm changes" with an infectiously catchy melody
that can only be described, for lack of a better work, as happy. Other highlights include
the ballad "Sleep Away" and the aforementioned "Bossa Nova Viejo"
which sports a flamenco vibe. To his credit, Acri made every selection an original work
rather than sleepwalking through yet another collection of standards.
Bob Acri has made music his life's work and Timeless:
The Music of Bob Acri is a wink back at the past with an eye on his future. There is
little new ground being broken here, but that was probably never the intention. This is a
collection documenting one man's lifelong journey through music.
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