William Ash was and remains one of the foremost guitarists in the New York and International Jazz scene. After mastering the guitar within the & ldquo;Wes Montgomery school & rdquo;, he later learned the bass as a means to supplement his career, becoming a double threat, along with a knack for composing catchy jazz tunes. A protege of the great pianist Barry Harris, Ash is one of the modern purveyors of a an ancient, yet newly revered style of jazz known as & ldquo;Be-Bop & rdquo;, and he & rsquo;s worked with many of the greats, including Jack McDuff, Cecil Payne, Roy Hargrove, Joey & ldquo;G-Clef & rdquo; Cavaseno, Bobby Forrester, and Larry Goldings. About Ash, & ldquo;All About Jazz & rdquo; stated he had "a soulfully mellow sound with a driving dynamic approach & rdquo;. On this particular album we revisit a young Ash back in 1992, at a typical quartet gig at the now defunct, Dean Street Cafe in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Dean Street was a mostly & ldquo;black and bougie & rdquo; hip little joint where good jazz could be heard in a lively environment, with some decent grub. On this spring evening, Ash & rsquo;s close buddies Ari Roland on bass and Joey Cavaseno on alto saxophone, join him for some swinging standard fare. The true highlight of this recording is the classically great veteran bebop drummer Jimmy Lovelace is in tow, about which Ash tells us, & ldquo;this is the only recording of him in his comeback period! & rdquo; Apparently Lovelace, who had previously worked with guitar greats like George Benson and Wes Montgomery, had been dormant for several years, before someone helped him acquire a drum set and the rest is history. For those who do not know, bassist Roland and guitarist Ash essentially grew up together, in the jazz life, apprenticing with Barry Harris at the Jazz Cultural Theatre in Manhattan, NYC. Ash met reedman Cavaseno as well when both gentlemen were quite young, and they worked together often with such artists as Hammond Organ great, Bobby Forrester. We hope this time capsule provides hours of swinging enjoyment for all.

Tracklist:

Saucer Eyes
William's Blues
My Old Flame
Little Suede Shoes
Strike Up the Band
For All We Know
St. Thomas
What Is This Thing Called Love?

UPC: 686647328709
Label: Soul Kid Jazz
Release Date: 5.19.23
Format: CD

William Ash - Quartet Live At Dean Street 1992 (CD)