Joey “G-Clef Cavaseno has had a storied career in jazz music, as one of the best alto saxophonists in jazz, as well as a parallel career in the hip-hop and alternative music universe, under the moniker G-Clef da Mad Komposa. “Spangalang” is a word that Cavaseno and his comrade-at-arms, guitarist Peter Bernstein but often use in reference to swinging music that really had that greasy edge, and that’s the name of this Cavaseno-lead ensemble was born. As a straight ahead, jazz quintet, Spangalang perform various intimate jazz performances around the tri-state New York area back in the early 1990s, around the same time “G-Clef” was pursuing his career as a hip-hop musician. Sometime in 1991, at Michael Brorby’s Acoustic Recording studio in Brooklyn, an albums worth of music was recorded with Spangalang. This music has never seen the light of day until now, as Cavaseno recently uncovered old metal cassette tapes, did you leave converted and then remastered using the latest technology, as of 2023. Featured on this outing are nothing less than the top tier of mainstream jazz players such as Peter Bernstein and William Ash on guitars, John Webber on bass, Andy Watson on drums and a young 21 year old future jazz superstar in Brad Mehldau on piano. Thanks to this hidden gem, we gain a unique perspective to the origins of some of the best names in jazz music today. The even better news is, it’s not only an important document, but still swinging and enjoyable. Perhaps no one would ever have heard from Spangalang or not for this release, 32 years later.
1. Saucer Eyes+ (7:29) (R. Weston)
2. Black Butterfly+ (Take 2) (7:46) (D. Ellington)
3. La Villa* (take 2) (6:27) (K. Dorham)
4. Blues for a New Day* (6:02) (J. Cavaseno)
5. Warm Valley+ (4:40) (D. Ellington)
6. Fiesta* (Take 1) (8:57) (C. Massey)
7. Spanglang Blues+ (6:38) (J. Cavaseno)
8. Black Butterfly+ (Take 1) (7:44) (D. Ellington)
9. La Villa* (Take 1) (7:20) (K. Dorham)
10. Fiesta* (Take 2) (5:53) (C. Massey)
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Recorded approximately 1991 Acoustic Recording, Brooklyn, NY
Engineer: Michael Brorby
Personnel:
Joey “G-Clef” Cavaseno: alto saxophone, leader
Peter Bernstein: guitar *
William Ash: guitar +
Brad Mehldau: piano
John Webber: bass
Andy Watson: drums
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