Dale Barlow Quintet with Bernie McGann - Memories of McGann

2022 release

Alto saxophonist Bernie McGann is still speaking to us from beyond the grave with his unmistakable bird-in-the-bush-like sound on an alto saxophone. This superbly recorded live set features him joining a vibrant band led by tenor saxophonist Dale Barlow, with pianist Bobby Gebert, bassist Alex Boneham and drummer Cameron Reid. Because it’s not McGann’s band, it draws him away from his conventional repertoire, a blistering D-Day apart.

There are four Barlow compositions, including the lilting, slightly mysterious Nuforia, on which McGann sounds less at ease than Barlow and Gebert. On Gebert’s Daleo’s Dance, however, he has his alto fluttering and crying; hitting that zone of lyricism mixed with crazy juxtapositions which made his playing unique in jazz history. Among the standards is a lively What’s New, with Barlow fluently riding the groove, before McGann breaks it up with stuttering off-beats and floating notes that land as unexpectedly as a fly on your nose. On the ballads the whole band sounds sumptuous, and on The Breeze and I Barlow swaps to flute, while McGann leaps between intervals like an abseiler. This is a significant addition to his legacy.

- John Shand

SMH