Day 15 Taking Chances Terell Stafford Live at the Dakota [2007]

I first met Terell (briefly) when I was at Rutgers, he had already graduated but just stopped by for a lesson with Prof (Bill Fielder) he was really nice and for some reason the meeting stuck with me. Fast forward to 2007 and he recorded on a CD I made with my brother: The Brenan Brothers Throwdown. I didn't know much about Terell except that he plays the trumpet in a way that reminds me of older players. His playing on "live at the Dakota" is no different.

Terell is fluid but possesses a lot of chops. He has great range without being showy. He's just a supremely musical guy that always plays beautifully. My brother Craig and I were in Philly at a club when we first heard Terell live. He played Wayne Shorters Indian dance, I think it was one of the first tunes I had heard in 5/4 and it made an impression (so much so that my brother ended up tracking down the song-pre itunes, and transcribed it). I have to say I prefer studio outings to live records. I think its the consistency of playing and/or the recording quality. This live disc is so well recorded I thought it was a studio record. The band is in sync with each other, they sound like they are having a great time. Dana Hall on drums is fiery without over playing, Bruce Barth on piano is solid (as he is on everything he does), the under rated Tim Warfield sounds great, especially on soprano and unknown to me Derrick Hodge on bass is solid throughout. The standout is Terell's ballad playing. He is just such a great interpreter of melodies!! If you haven't had the pleasure of hearing Terell this is a great place to start. enjoy.