George Mason

Life Colors

Maple Island Records

Violinist George Mason has released a new CD of material which was actually recorded in a four-hour after-midnight session in 1993. Six of the eight tunes are originals, although some sound like other tunes. This is to be expected, since there are only so many notes and so many combinations. Much of it could be classified under "smooth jazz", although the violinist transcends that term.

The opener, "Dancing on the Wall", has a nice, easygoing feel to it. Mason has a good solo and bass guitarist Mark Harris also contributes a good one. Mason plays the head and a solo on the next tune, "Little Brown Girl", which is more intricate. Saxophonist Bill Caldwell, who plays the melody in unison with Mason on most numbers, comes in later for a solo on this one.

The mood changes on the title tune, "Life Colors", which has a funk beat and twangy bass. Mason and Caldwell deliver decent solos here. Miles Davis' "All Blues" gets a bass-violin duet treatment on which Mason ventures into Christian Howes territory and does well there. Harris' bass solo is also good.

"Modern Art Song" is one of those that has a familiar ring to it. "Mulher Bonita" almost sounds like a continuation of the same tune. It's about here that Caldwell's Brecker-like saxophonics begin to get tiresome. You wait for his entrance and it's pretty much the same every time.

It's on John Coltrane's "Impressions" that Mason does his best work, getting the Coltrane feel. It's another duet with the bass guitar but Harris' solo isn't as inventive as on "All Blues". Much of it is repetitive. As the piece winds down, you're reminded of a merry-go-round slowly coming to a stop. The closer, "A Vision of April", is a pretty ballad but again is reminiscent of something else. Pianist James Mylenbush, whose contribution to this point has been mostly comping and taking short solos, gets to stretch out on this one and plays well.

Overall, Mason seems to be a force to be reckoned with, as a player if not a composer. The recent release of music over a decade old shows a willingness to step into the jazz scene. His rhythm section is good. Drummer Terry Waddell was not mentioned on individual tunes because all he did (all he did?) was keep time and provide excellent support for the others. Mylenbush did the same until the last tune. The CD would probably please lovers of both smooth and mainstream jazz.

- Don Henke