New York Cats (1999)

About this title: Guitarist Mark Elf's fifth recording showcases his talents in a trio setting with bassist Jay Leonhart and drummer Dennis Mackrel, who lift the leader's jazz fervor to new heights. Without another melodic foil, the pressure is on Elf to keep the music interesting and active, which he does in spades. Elf wrote five of the 12 selections. "The Conflict" is an eighth note marvel that sounds like the conflict is resolved, "Heartfelt" as the title indicates is warm, a glistening ballad with elongated chords, and "Walker's Walk" combines cool bluesy walking bass and great grooving shuffle rhythms. ... read more

Tracks:

1. Brownie Speaks [Brown]
2. Blues in the Night [Arlen/Mercer]
3. From This Moment On [Porter]
4. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes [Harbach/Kern]
5. No More Blues (Chega de Saudade) [Cavanaugh/DeMoraes/]
6. The Conflict [Elf]
7. Stompin' at the Savoy [Webb/Goodman/Razaf/]
8. Heartfelt [Elf]
9. Walker's Walk [Elf]
10. Pemble's Tremble [Elf]
11. Oh, Lady Be Good [Gershwin/Gershwin]
12. Blues for Jenny [Elf]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.