JACOB WENDT-SILVER STREET

When it comes to making jazz records, Jacob Wendt is a jack-of-all-trades. Not only did he assemble the band for Silver Street and play the drums, he also did all the composing and arranging for the eight songs on the record. He made key recording and mixing decisions alongside engineer Paul Tavenner, who has over 30 years in the industry (previously holding positions at Capitol Records and CBS) and has been the owner of Big City Recording in Los Angeles since 1999.

Born in the Bay Area, Wendt relocated to Southern California at 18 years old to begin studying jazz in earnest. He quickly developed a passion for learning how all his favorite albums were made, which eventually led him to take a more active role in the technical aspects of producing Silver Street. Specifically, he was inspired by the legend of jazz recordist Rudy Van Gelder’s home studio in Hackensack, New Jersey, which was active in the 1950s during hard bop’s golden era. In the spirit of his favorite albums made there, Wendt elected to have his band play together in one room at Big City while opting for minimalist miking techniques. Using a classic stereo spread that has horns and drums flanking the piano and bass in the center, each instrument cuts through the mix with refreshing clarity. And where the recording of piano tends to suffer on numerous classic jazz albums, here it has been exceptionally recorded. Wendt and Tavenner have succeeded at creating an intimate sonic portrait of a small jazz combo swinging into the wee hours of the night at a crowded metropolitan club.

Silver Street gets off to a swift start with the album’s title track, the name of which aptly cites one of Wendt’s main influences. Horace Silver was known to write uptempo, winding melodies in the spirit of bebop, and fans of the pianist might find “Silver Street” tastefully reminiscent of his composing and arranging style. Full of hits, breaks, and stop-time, this uptempo piece features a unison melody line that splits into call and response phrases at the bridge. The whole group really shines on this number. Trumpeter Harry Ostrander is first, coming straight out of the break with two fiery choruses. Jimmy Emerzian follows on tenor sax, crafting his solo with zig-zagging lines and intrepid bursts of energy. Pianist Doug Carter delivers a dazzling solo, stretching out to make use of the entire keyboard while throwing in some surprising rhythmic variations that will keep the listener on their toes. The whole piece ramps up to a shout chorus that puts the spotlight on the drums, highlighting Wendt's understated yet very slick playing.