Monday Recommendation: Rob Bargad And Others

Monday Recommendation: Reunion 7Tet, (Rob Bargad & Others), A Field Of You (Barnette)

Once a year, a band of musicians who go back a long way together gather for a two-night gig at Smalls jazz club in New York’s Greenwich Village. Nominally under the leadership of pianist Rob Bargad, on their last visit they recorded an album at the New Jersey studio called Trading 8s. Bargad explains that they chose the studio for two reasons: its rebuilt 1954 Steinway B grand piano and the recording engineer, Chris Sulit. The result is a mainstream album of considerable variety and appeal, with compelling sound quality and impressive original compositions by the band’s members. They are Bargad, piano; Dave Schumacher, baritone saxophone; Joe Magnarelli, trumpet; Jerry Weldon, tenor saxophone; Mike Karn, bass; Jason Brown, drums; and Daniel Sadownick, percussion.

During their last gig at Smalls, a videographer captured their performance of Bargad’s title tune, “A Field Of You,” which he recently explained is a play on the words “A Field Of View.”