Nino Tempo - Purveyor Of Balladry: The Best Of Nino Tempo On Atlantic (2018)

Since 2011, Omnivore Recordings has been assembling an increasingly eclectic catalog with its reissues and new recordings from a range of artists that include everyone from Big Star and Game Theory to Art Pepper and Maynard Ferguson, with stops along the way at Sandra and Emitt Rhodes, Harry Dean Stanton, and George Jones, to mention just a few. This compilation from saxophonist Nino Tempo's 1990s tenure with Atlantic Records is taken from two albums that have largely been forgotten, much like the artist himself. Tempo is a saxophonist, composer, arranger, producer, former actor, and more. He was a member of Phil Spector's Wrecking Crew, Ferguson's bands, and he worked with his sister April Stevens in a popular '60s duo -- their 1961 hit, "Deep Purple," is an evergreen that still receives airplay.

This set collects the ballad tracks from Tempo's two Atlantic albums, Tenor Saxophone (1990) and Nino (1993), and a previously unissued live performance of "Darn That Dream" from the funeral of Atlantic Records' co-founder Nesuhi Ertegun. It is included here as the reason Ahmet Ertegun signed him (again) -- he'd been at companion label Atco with Stevens. "Darn That Dream" reveals Tempo as a supremely nuanced melodic improviser. While Randy Poe's fine liner essay quotes critic Leonard Feather asserting that the saxophonist is a descendant of the lineage that begat Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, and Lee Konitz, a strong case for Paul Desmond and Art Pepper can also be made. The set includes 13 tracks in total: 11 are instrumentals ranging from jazz standards such as "'Round Midnight," "Stella by Starlight," and "Goodbye" to elegant Brazilian fare such as Dori Caymmi's "Amazon River" (with Stevens) and Ary Barroso's "Brazil." There are also tracks by longtime Tempo friend and associate Mike Stoller -- "A Theme for Anna," "Bahia Manhattan" -- and one by Leiber & Stoller --"Suzanne (Say You Can)." The other vocal number here is a fine reading of "You Are So Beautiful" with Roberta Flack (who co-produced and arranged it with pianist Barry Miles). Its charts are indicative of the entire album's: Elegant, gauzy, languid, and tasteful. Most tunes utilize a standard jazz quintet underscored by tasteful string charts, and occasionally, electric arrangements such as on the nearly majestic reading of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David classic "Anyone Who Had a Heart" and an unissued studio edited version of Leon Russell's "This Masquerade" stripped of its original vocal track. Tempo also delivers an original in the lithe, smooth jazz number "Call It Love," the album's outlier, with funky, compressed drumming, tropical piano harmonies, and tight electric bass. Clocking in at just under an hour, Purveyor of Balladry survives as a solid jazz entry from the era, but more than this, it shines a bright light on Tempo's particular set of gifts as a saxophonist. Everything here is classy, graceful, and deeply soulful. Thanks go to Omnivore for a lovely gift we didn't know we needed.