[CD Review] Time Bandits, Recorded in Englewood Cliffs, by John Bailey

Recorded in Englewood Cliffs
John Bailey
Time Bandits
(Freedom Road Records)

Van Gelder Studios in Englewood Cliffs continues to be the place where great jazz is born…and Time Bandits, by trumpeter/composer John Bailey, is no exception. In this one legendary studio, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Freddie Hubbard, Thelonious Monk, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Memphis Slim and hundreds of other greats made their best recordings.

Bailey has played it all in his four-decade career, from swing and blues to trad and Latin, from free to bop and all that’s in-between. This time, on only his third album as leader, he’s assembled an all-star crew consisting of pianist George Cables—who, like so many others, came out of Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers—as well as bassist Scott Colley and drummer Victor Lewis.

Bailey never gave a thought to personal glory. He just blew long and hard for legends who wanted him in their bands:  Ray Charles and Buddy Rich among them. His last album (2020’s Can You Imagine?) suggested an alternate reality, one in which Dizzy Gillespie’s 1964 presidential run ended in the bebop pioneer actually winning. Now, on Time Bandits, he pays homage to fellow trumpet master Thad Jones [1923-1986] in the delectable delightful “Ode To Thaddeus.” He makes Beatle-song “She’s Leaving Home” an instant jazz classic. Another highlight, “How Do You Know,” is a loving tribute to his mentor, multi-instrumentalist Ira Sullivan, who died in 2020.

If you only buy one jazz album all year….

Order ‘Time Bandits’ via johnbailey.com