The Late Great Pianist Harold Mabern Displays Leading Man Big Hands in ‘Mabern Plays Mabern’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

Mabern Plays Mabern was originally planned for release on the great pianist’s 84th birthday but Harold Mabern, unfortunately, passed away in September 2019, at the age of 83. Fortunately, this, his 27th recording and first posthumous one is culled from the same live sessions that formed his 26th, The Iron Man: Live at Smoke, when he was 81 in January 2018. These are Mabern’s longtime bandmates, like the leader, firing on all cylinders – Eric Alexander (tenor sax), John Webber (bass), Joe Farnsworth (drums) joined for these special dates by Steve Davis (trombone) and Vincent Herring (alto sax). This repertoire of eight selections spans Mabern’s six decades of recording as a leader and sideman including a version of “The Beehive” from the classic Lee Morgan Live at the Lighthouse.

Charles Lloyd was a bandmate of Mabern’s at Manassas High in Memphis. He offered this on the beloved pianist’s passing, “…Before they called him ‘Leading Man,’ his nickname was ‘Big Hands.’ With the broad reach of those hands, he caressed many beautiful chords. He was a storyteller and every note he played had a message.” Fellow Manassas classmate George Coleman added, “He was always adventurous, and he was always swinging, keeping the crowd pleased.” Those accolades are clearly reflected in these bright performances, as evidenced by the enthusiastic applause after each selection. Alexander indicated that Mabern knew these were special dates, and Mabern “threw caution to the wind,” playing adventurously and passionately on tunes he wrote or enjoyed playing.

The sextet begins with a modal burner dedicated to trombone legend J.J Johnson, with whom Mabern often worked, “Mr. Johnson.” It first appeared on an October 1969 Lee Morgan sextet session. Mabern comps behind each horn soloist before taking the final turn with a bright, swinging solo of his own. “Iron Man,” given its status as proven staple of the Mabern -Alexander quartet through the years, follows. Mabern takes a rollicking introductory solo before yielding to the horns, each playing intensely and swinging very hard.

These two selections and several others are of the Lee Morgan-type hard bop style but Mabern also spent considerable portions of his career accompanying vocalists such as Betty Carter, Sarah Vaughan, and Joe Williams so his encyclopedic knowledge of the Great American Songbook reveals itself first on Gershwin’s “Lover Man” featuring Davis and Herring, and “It’s Magic,” that he introduces with a gorgeous rubato statement that leads into Alexander’s highly romantic solo.

The complex, potent “Lyrical Cole-Man” (from Mabern’s 1980 trio date, Pisces Calling) is Mabern’s tone parallel to George Coleman that finds the leader all over the keys, as Alexander assumes Coleman’s tenor role and Farnsworth shines on his mid-piece drum solo. Another reference to Mabern’s long tenure with Lee Morgan is “Edward Lee,” emblematic of the Morgan strutting and swagger. The trumpeter’s full name was Edward Lee Morgan, hence the title. It also first appeared on Pisces Calling but also on a duo session with bassist Kieran Overs titled Philadelphia Bound and again on Alexander’s 1999 quartet album, Live at the Keynote, and on the Japanese-only trio album Don’t Know Why.

The highlight for this writer and likely long-time Mabern fans is “The Beehive,” named for the South Side Chicago nightclub where Mabern heard Bird in 1955. It remains one of the most enduring tracks from the now-iconic Live at the Lighthouse from Lee Morgan and this version features unfettered, spirited blowing from Alexander on tenor and Herring on alto in the first half, channeling their best versions of Bird, preceded by the infamous call and response dialogue between the horns and drums.

Set closer “Rakin’ and Scrapin’” first appeared in 1968 as the title track of Mabern’s second leader album. The lineup at that time had Coleman on tenor, Blue Mitchell on trumpet, and Bill Lee on bass. Alexander, Herring, and Davis do them proud in this bluesy boogaloo that owes to Mabern’s dad’s statement that he “rake and scrape up” funds for his son’s first piano.

Straight ahead jazz is rarely, if ever, better than this. We will dearly miss Harold Mabern, as these animated performances attest to the true vitality of then octogenarian.

Photo by Jimmy Katz