REVIEWS
Pat Coil
How Deep Is the Ocean Burton Avenue Records Pat Coil is a world class keyboardist, composer and educator, with an extensive multi-genre resume, including work with everyone from Woody Herman, Trisha Yearwood, to Tribal Tech and Michael McDonald. How Deep Is the Ocean is an exploration of the classic piano trio format featuring Coil’s original tunes and reinvented classics. With accompaniment by the inimitable Danny Gottlieb on drums, and young phenom Jacob Jezioro on acoustic bass, this album is living, breathing proof that jazz is alive and well. The project was produced by Jack Jezzro and recorded and mixed by Brendan Harkin, both longtime Local 257 members, at Harkin’s Wildwood Studio, where many great Nashville jazz recordings have been made over the years. The excellent sound of this record is inviting, and the music is as inspiring and real as it gets. These three virtuosos effortlessly trade roles supporting each other’s improvisational flights throughout the album. The title track, written by Irving Berlin, features ostinato piano/bass figures that serve as a launching pad for Coil’s melodic excursions, with exquisite cymbal work from Gottlieb, whose resume includes Gary Burton, Pat Metheny, Eberhard Weber, and many other jazz greats. Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” gets a beautiful arrangement, demonstrating Coil’s uncanny ability to reharmonize familiar melodies, with a gentle swing from the rhythm section, giving it a fresh new sound that begs for repeated plays. “Chelsea’s Dream,” a Coil original, has a lush intro that morphs into a gentle Latin inspired groove driven by Gottlieb’s insistent side stick, with Jezioro’s nimble solo dancing between the piano and drums. “Cry Me A River” is given a beautiful treatment, with lots of space left between the notes, and the ebb and flow between
the trio is flawless. Coil’s elegant arrangement of “Prelude in E Minor” is simply beautiful, followed by “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers.” This sweet, yet sad, melodic ballad by Stevie Wonder was famously covered by Jeff Beck many years ago, but Coil’s version more than holds its own. “Bye, Bye, Blackbird” is given a fresh treatment with Jezioro doubling Coil’s left-hand figures perfectly before launching into a sweetly melodic bass solo. The album draws to a close with Coil’s original, “Hope, Sweet, Hope” adding a gospel flavor to the proceedings, with Gottlieb’s brush work floating around Coil’s heartfelt melody and elegant chord changes. This album is a great example of musical teamwork in every way, and the results are timeless. More, please. —Roy Montana
EDITOR’S NOTE: AFM life member Roland White died April 1, 2022. His obituary will appear in the next Nashville Musician magazine.
Mandolin Man: The Bluegrass Life of Roland White by Bob Black University of Illinois Press
54-year AFM Local 257 member Roland White’s life and career is meticulously documented in this new biography written by Bob Black, banjo player and fellow veteran of Bill Monroe’s band. Mandolin Man tells not only the story of the twists and turns of White’s long and winding career path, but also of the evolution of bluegrass music itself. His points of intersection with nearly every acoustic music icon are mind-boggling, and Black connects it all in fascinating detail with many first-person stories from and about dozens of iconic musicians. Born in northern Maine into a musical family of French descent, Roland began playing mandolin at the age of six. The rest is history, and it is an incredible one. Playing with his younger siblings as The Country Kids, he began his career in southern California, performing on local radio shows shortly after moving there in 1954. The group made its first TV appearance as The Country Boys that same year. Bill Monroe’s early records were a big influence on the young mandolin player, and a visit to Nashville in 1959 cemented his desire for a life in music. In 1961 the Country Boys appeared on the The Andy Griffith Show, a major breakthrough. When he returned from a stint in the military in 1963, the band renamed themselves The Kentucky Colonels, one of many successful bands in which he played a part. He played with Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys, Lester Flatt’s Nashville Grass, Country Gazette, and the Nashville Bluegrass Band, and for many years now, his own group — the Roland White Band. His younger brother Clarence became one of the most important guitarists in acoustic music, and went on to switch to electric guitar. He invented the B-Bender [Telecaster] with Gene Parsons. Clarence made several albums with The Byrds and other artists that influenced countless country guitarists, including Marty Stuart, who owns and plays that original B-Bender guitar today. Shortly after reuniting with Roland in the New Kentucky Colonels, Clarence was tragically killed by a drunk driver. Roland was also injured in this tragic incident, which is retold in terrifying detail. This book has many memorable stories and insights into the life of one of the most modest virtuosos you could ever meet. Kudos to Bob Black for shining a light on a great musician and even better person, and thanks to Roland White for all the great music. — Roy Montana continued on page 22 APRIL– JUNE 2022 21
