The Regulator

Description

A true jazz scene veteran barely in his thirties, Artie Zaitz is a musician of taste, imagination, and fire with an instinctive ability to combine multiple contrasting elements in a single run delivering extended, embellished jazz phrases blended seamlessly with blues sensibility and connected via chromatic ladders.

In this, his debut recording as leader, The Regulator (in recognition of his skill in holding down a groove) presents some of the cream of the London jazz scene in an exciting, esoteric combination.Fresh, fun, cool, yet full of blues and grit and infused with trademark humour, Zaitz lays down 6 tracks, deep in parallel with classic organ recordings tracked live in the studio and recorded in full analog glory.

The essence of this combo is in its homage to the soul jazz organ/guitar combos of the mid-60s New York Chitlin circuit although, rather than utilising the traditional organ trio set up, they decided to take it further by adding percussion. First-call Organist Ross Stanley stretches out his harmonic and stylistic versatility on the Hammond C-3 "Big Bertha", whipping up a musical tornado firmly abetted by drummer Steve Brown who provides the greasy, swinging, yet solid groove that drives the band. Dave Pattman on Conga revels in the space he finds to showcase his Afro-Cuban and Latin American influences adding delectable flavour to the groove.

The record opens with 'Some Extent', a blues, written by Zaitz when he was 17. Listen out for the 'dark' chord at the end of the form, bringing an angular element to the soloing. Dizzy Gillespie's 'Con Alma' is given a delightful, expansive treatment by the band and 'A Nod To The Hight Priest' is the now New York-based Ruben Fox's tribute to Monk in which the counterpoint played on two instruments at the head, the descending chord movement, and distinctive tri-tone substitutions resolve into Brown's solo.

The open chord 'jam' 'Boogaloo Ga Goo' composed by Zaitz's father, hots up the set and nods to the great Eddie Harris in its composed outro. Blues bends, pentatonic runs, double stops, and rapid repeats reference Grant Green, B.B. King and John Scofield in this playful tune. 'Our Miss Brooks' tells a story through its gritty walking blues, relaxed tempo with 'big-band moments'. This tune was written by underrated tenor saxophonist Harold Vick.

'The Regulator' was written by Mark Kavuma, virtuoso trumpeter, and consummate composer. The piece bears a simple sing-along, major pentatonic riff over a twelve-bar form with a particular and absorbing chordal movement.