Recorded in July 2019, just two months before the passing of great pianist and composer Harold Mabern, Thank You, Mr. Mabern! features the leader, bassist Leon Lee Dorsey, and drummer Mike Clark in a trio. This posthumous release is not only Dorsey’s personal farewell to the beloved Mabern, but marks six decades of music from the pianist often associated with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and the pivotal force behind many great Blue Note albums, especially for Lee Morgan.
The late Memphis-born, hard-bop pianist Harold Mabern was a revered elder figure on the scene when he died on September 17, 2019, at the age of 83. His authentic soul-infused jazz and deep blues swing inherent in his Memphis roots, coupled with a profound command of the Great American Songbook, amassed the admiration of generations of musicians, including bassist-producer Leon Lee Dorsey. “I had been working with Harold in George Coleman’s octet and we did some quartet gigs together,” said Dorsey. “But, I just had not really done a recording with him. And we were kind of kicking it around last year about doing just that.” Before moving on to Dorsey, as mentioned in previous coverage of Mabern (Note Mabern Plays Mabern on these pages), the pianist comes from a Memphis core of musicians that includes Coleman and Charles Lloyd.
Dorsey, whose bass has energized jazz masters Lionel Hampton and Art Blakey with his Jazz Messengers, as well as Grammy-winning jazz vocalist Cassandra Wilson, brought this album to fruition in his Upper West Side Manhattan home studio. The bassist had already produced a string of trio recordings with Mike Clark, a veteran drummer who provides a strong, rhythmic foundation on this recording. Dorsey notes, “Mike has his own legendary status being from the Bay Area and playing with Herbie Hancock, but he also played with a lot of great blues and R&B artists in his career. He and Harold had a lot in common and they kind of fell in love with each other at the session. Harold came in playing like a 21 year old. He was on fire — Mike fueled it.”
Mabern fans will clearly recognize the rousing opener, “Rakin’ and Scrapin’,” the title track of the pianist’s 1969 Prestige album. Trio synergy and palpable energy is there from the outset. Mabern’s spirited feel on Frank Foster’s classic jazz waltz, “Simone” demonstrates a slight departure from the hard bop, soul-jazz in his signature sound, evoking some of McCoy Tyner with his syncopated runs. Dorsey steps in with a lyrical solo, supported beautifully by Mabern’s sensitive comping. The group shifts gears with “Bye Blackbird” which features Dorsey on the melody and Clark on brushes. The trio returns to its mid-60’s soul-jazz underpinnings with a particularly soulful take on Herbie Hancock’s “Watermelon Man.” Clark’s slyly, the articulated approach here shifts back and forth between Clyde Stubblefield and Billy Higgins.
The album concludes with an entrancing 6/8 take on Gershwin’s “Summertime”, which includes an exploratory bass solo by Dorsey and culminates in dramatic storytelling by Clark. On a rollicking version of Fats Domino’s “I’m Walkin’,” Clark drives with a greasy backbeat while Mabern digs into his Memphis roots for a bluesy-churchy interpretation.
On a frisky rendition of “Softly As In a Morning Sunrise,” close listening reveals connections to Mabern’s two biggest influences, Ahmad Jamal and Phineas Newborn. And Mabern nods to another influence on Erroll Garner’s “Misty,”, with his steady left-hand comping and delicately placed right-hand octaves. (Catch Mabern deftly quoting from “I Want to Talk About You” in his gorgeous solo.) Maybe Trane (who had fine renditions of “Softly As In a Morning Sunrise” and “I Want to Talk About You”) was on their minds as they close with his “Moment’s Notice,” paced by Clark’s irrepressible swing, Dorsey’s sturdy walking bass lines, and Mabern’s signature burn.
While the set contains only one Mabern original, the idea was basically to just let loose and have some fun. Dorsey explains, “I had everything mapped out on the production side with my list of tunes and notes on each one. But I really wanted Harold to come in, have a good time, and not have to think about anything. No reading, no nothing. We just hit — it was a tremendous experience. I feel like I got the best from both these legends in this session.” As heard in the live quintet album Mabern Plays Mabern and here in this trio setting, Mabern retained his spirited, soulful form right to the end, passing at age 83. These were Mabern’s final recorded notes in a rare turn as the featured soloist for one who so humbly shared the bandstand with others throughout his storied career.
