JAZZ2LOVE
Album Review: The Sphinx from Jonathan Ng
Starting from the close of the recording, Ng’s version of Hoagy Carmichael’s reflective piece “Stardust” is mesmerizing as Ng’s violin trades solos with Dawson’s keys, each giving the track a palliative luster. The sextet transitions into a swinging cadence in the prancing rhythm driving Ray Charles’s bluesy romp “Rockhouse Pt. 1 & 2,” projecting the chugging beats associated with balboa or LA swing music, used to entice couples to dance in a close embrace.
Springing forward, the flashing tweets of Alva’s saxophone rippling along “Embryo” trade off solos with Ng’s jutting violin strings, making for a percolating number reminiscent of the Lindy hop. Ng’s refreshing treatment of old-time musical styles and tempos thrusts these tunes into current times. The sextet’s remake of Erkine Hawkins’ frolicking whirlwind “Gin Mill Special” gives the ragtime-esque tunage of the piano keys a splash of contemporary trimmings with the whimsical strokes of Ng’s violin and Alva’s saxophone. Ng’s own original offering in the title track pairs the thrusting beats of ragtime with the merriment synonymous with swing.
Ng shows that the sounds of the violin can emit a jazz-imbued tone, a trait that a handful of violinists tempt. Replenishing the magnetism of the music of 1920’s and ’30s like balboa/LA swing, the Lindy hop, and ragtime makes for a delightful visit for audiences.
Musicians:
Jonathan Ng – violin and vocals
Albert Alva – tenor saxophone
Luca Pino – guitar
Chris Dawson – piano
Seth Ford-Young – upright bass
Josh Collazo – drums