Steely Dan Saxophonist Walt Weiskopf Proves Tenor Greatness On ‘Diamond and Other Jewels’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

When Steely Dan is not touring or when the schedule affords a multi-day break saxophonist and composer Walt Weiskopf finds opportunities to go full jazz mode with his European Quartet, his Denmark-based working unit. Diamonds and Other Jewels marks the sixth release since forming in 2017 for this unit comprised of pianist Carl Winther, bassist Andreas Lang, and drummer Anders Mogensen. The program has seven Weiskopf originals and one standard, and the album title mostly references the song titles., specifically “Black Diamond,” “Blood Diamond,” and “Other Jewels.” Also at play are two tributes, a variation on a standard, and the opener, “Spartacus,” which inspired Weiskopf’s fascination with Roman history. These eight tunes all average around six minutes, so the improvised solos are mostly concise with the quartet rendering all coherently and tightly. 

The locomotive opener holds nothing back as Weiskopf and his quartet evokes that winning spirit of the legendary warrior – rebellious, compelling, and urgent. The leader’s solo and that of pianist Winther threaten to go off the rails before regrouping for the theme and exiting spiritly. “Black Diamond” is a bristling composition, which on the surface seems simpler, until one realizes it’s a fusion of minor, triple meter, and blues, essentially a waltz. Again, the leader’s playing is a combination of aggressive hard-edged blowing in fluid, rapidly running clusters, using all registers and often reaching into those chilling upper realms. Pianist Winther keeps up the frenetic pace in his own glistening solo before his rhythm mates weigh in with turns of their own. We get a breather from these two fiery tunes with the gorgeous ballad “Other Jewels,” a recognition that sometimes even the smallest things can give us pleasure. 

In the second half, Weiskopf pays tribute, first to inspirational bandleader and composer Thad Jones in the celebratory “Thad Nation” and then in his deeply reverential and elegiac take on Charlie Parker’s “My Old Flame,” which he dedicates to his friend and former bandmate, the late altoist Andy Fusco. Weiskopf begins the tune with his trademark rapid runs but quickly slows to ballad tempo playing with fervent sensitivity, sustaining the notes beautifully while alternating his approach with classic Bird-like fluidity, blowing unaccompanied toward the end of the piece. It’s a stunning performance.

“Incantation” is a contrafact based on Bronislaw Kaper’s classic “Invitation.” In the liners, Weiskopf humbly mentions that he’s been faking his way through the chords for forty-plus years, so it was time to properly teach it to himself. The standout track “Blood Diamond” begins pensively before morphing into a poignantly emotional statement that decries the weird paradox of civilized society with the brutal, immoral aspects of humanity, true in Roman times and sadly, increasingly the case today.  Weiskopf’s last solo, commencing around the four-minute mark, is a passionate cry for peace. Finally, “Everybody” is based on Jerome Kern’s standard “Nobody Else But Me” as Weiskopf goes for a celebratory feel for the close, only to discover that these progressions are difficult even for the tempo master that he is. The tune sprints across several keys in just sixteen bars and becomes disorienting. Only the best in class could pull one this off. 

We’d be remiss without mentioning at least one of Weiskopf’s strongest outings as a sideman, especially having reviewed Billy Drummond’s Valse Sinistre on these pages recently. Weiskopf was a key member of Drummond’s ensemble for his widely acclaimed 1996 Dubai. Also, Weiskopf joined Steely Dan in 2002 and has been with them before and after the passing of co-founder Walter Becker in 2017 and has been the featured saxophonist on many of their tours. 

This vital, animated session reveals Weiskopf’s strengths as both a composer and an energetic soloist, attributes that take a back seat when he’s playing with Steely Dan. Simply put, he is a monster on the tenor saxophone. This one should have listeners reaching into his catalog for his past recordings with his European Quartet.

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