“Love, Dad” Reviews:
“Amazing Notes! Five Stars. The notes are well-played and filled with passion!” LaQianya Huynh, Amazon Review
The Larry Newcomb Quartet’s Love, Dad album opens with a swinging “You Stepped Out of a Dream,” journeys pleasantly through six of Newcomb’s engaging originals, presents a fresh take on “Secret Agent Man,” and closes with an up-tempo melodic romp through Jerome Kern’s “The Song is You.”
A very solid jazz guitarist, Dr. Larry Newcomb has a fluid, vibrant style that conveys warmth and melodic integrity. He holds Masters and PhD degrees in music from the University of Florida. Guitarist Larry Newcomb emphasizes evocative single note linear phrasing much in the style of the great unsung hero of jazz guitar Grant Green, but he also demonstrates proficiency in many other guitar techniques. His improvisations are tasty, tight and inventive. Love, Dad is a sweet guitar-centric jazz album with tonal purity, imagination and taste. ~ Joe Ross, Roots Music ReporT
''This is the follow-up to Newcomb’s previous album Living Tribute (Essential Messenger, 2017), recorded with the late legendary jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli. Newcomb’s approach is both harmonically rich and melodically fluid. This combined with a crystalline tone makes for compelling listening. Newcomb junior is equally talented, frequently offering some lithe, resonant pizzicato bass solos as heard, for example, on Oscar Pettiford’s Tricotism. The real selling point is the unalloyed virtuosity of Newcomb senior." ~ Roger Farbey, Jazz Journal
"Larry Newcomb carries a classic sound veering between Herb Ellis and Wes Montgomery on this winning session with his son Jake on bass, Thomas Royal/p and Dave Marsh/dr. He shows how to swing on standards like “The Song Is You” and is clean and polished like a ’61 Caddy’s chrome on “You Stepped Out Of A Dream," while showing his dexterity on Oscar Pettiford’s tricky “Tricotism." Most fun of all is his take on Johnny Rivers’ “Secret Agent Man” which makes you want to grab for shoe phone. This guy’s a keeper." ~George W. Harris • Jazz Weekly
Veteran jazz guitarist Larry Newcomb and his son, bassist Jake Newcomb, teamed up on six of the guitarist’s distinctive originals, plus swinging versions of four standards. ~Matt Micucci, Jazziz
Larry Newcomb's genial guitar sets the compass with agility and élan. Everyone meshes well, which is what quartets should do, making Love, Dad a smooth and pleasurable listening experience. ~Jack Bowers, All About Jazz
There are two key takeaways from the empowering, hard swinging and deeply bluesy experience of listening to Love, Dad, the third album by the Larry Newcomb Quartet. Considering that the famed jazz guitarist traded crazy cool fours on his previous quartet set Living Tribute with recently departed legend Bucky Pizzarelli (in one of his last recorded performances), it’s a bold statement but necessary to relate that this uber-eclectic current set – featuring the brilliant timing, melodicism and imaginative soloing of Newcomb’s bassist son Jake Newcomb – transcends the previous still great album in stylistic scope, full on energy and compelling emotional hugs and caresses. ~Jonathan Widran, JMVibe.com
Larry Newcomb's "Soirée" is another of his originals that won my vote for personal favorite of the ten tracks offered up. I especially loved the fluid piano lines from Thomas. "Cliffhanger Blues" is some of the tastiest (& funky) jazz/blues you'll ever listen to! I give Larry, Jake, Thomas and Dave a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED rating. "EQ" (energy quotient) score of 4.99 for this fun family jazz recording. ~Dick Metcalf, editor, Contemporary Fusion Reviews
The title track, “Love, Dad,” dedicated to Larry’s three sons, is based on “Stella By Starlight” and swings hard. Oscar Pettiford’s classic “Tricotism” gives Jake Newcomb his turn out front. “Soirée’” is another Larry original, a jazz waltz with a French feel and an especially inventive guitar solo. “Secret Agent Man” works well in an Afro-Cuban 6/8 version. The rollicking tune, featuring perhaps the best interplay between father and son on the disc, is followed with a tender ballad, Larry’s own “Hearts in Suspension.” ~Jim Hynes, Making a Scene
Love, Dad features Larry Newcomb on guitar, Dave Marsh on drums, Thomas Royal on piano and Larry's son, Jake Newcomb on bass. The new ten-song release is a mixture of six of Newcomb’s originals and reimagined version of four jazz standards. “Love, Dad” finds the band working in perfect unison, supporting every note that is played with purpose. ~JPsMusicBlog
Love, Dad opens with one of its four covers, “You Stepped Out Of A Dream,” written by Nacio Herb Brown in the early 1940s. This track a wonderful start to a seriously good album, and is followed by “Essential Messengers,” an original composition by Newcomb, with a bossa nova vibe. “Cliffhanger Blues,” another Newcomb original piece, is catchy right from the start. This one swings, while including a good dose of the blues on guitar, and features some fantastic work on piano. Plus, there is some groovy stuff on both bass and drums, helping to make this track one of my personal favorites. The title track, “Love, Dad,” has a sweet and affectionate vibe, fitting for its subject. And I love the late-night feel of “Hearts In Suspension.” ~Michael Doherty, MichaelsMusicBlog
A former guitar student of Bucky Pizzarelli that learned well from the master is now bringing his kid into the family business. A real straight ahead swinger that would have been a classic mainstay recording before the record business decentralized into the Tower of Babel, this relentlessly driving date gives you that jolt you get when a totally top flight combo has it in gear. Mostly originals that seem like standards, jazz guitar is alive and well here. Well done. ~Chris Spector, Midwest Record
A listen spearheaded by guitarist Larry Newcomb and his son, bassist Jake Newcomb, Love, Dad also benefits from Dave Marsh’s drumming and Thomas Royal’s piano skills across 10 straight jazz tunes where 6 originals and 4 standards unfold with precision. Larry has had an impressive career so far, and Love, Dad is certainly some of his best work, where his meticulous guitar playing and innovative jazz sensibilities don’t disappoint. ~TakeEffectReviews.com
On LOVE, DAD, the Newcombs, who are joined by pianist Thomas Royal and drummer Dave Marsh, perform six of the guitarist’s originals plus swinging versions of four standards. Larry Newcomb, who is considered one of the top all-round guitarists on the scene today, has played in a wide variety of settings during his productive career but his true love is modern straight ahead jazz. ~Anne Carlini, Russell Trunk's Exclusive Magazine
“Renowned guitarist/composer Larry Newcomb is joined by his son, bassist Jake Newcomb in this fine quartet rendering of favorite standards and six of LarryNewcomb’s own compositions. A salute to family – and a nod to the pleasure fine jazz performances bring to the audience.” ~Grady Harp, Amazon Hall of Fame Top 500 Reviewer
Reviewing a prior recording by guitarist Larry Newcomb, I wrote 'Newcomb captivates with his beautiful tone, single-note lines and carefully placed chords with his swinging backing band.' His new album, "Love, Dad" teams him up with his son Jake for a high-quality straight-ahead jazz quartet set. It is a captivating set of straight-ahead swinging jazz -- a solid and thoroughly entertaining jazz guitar album. ~Ron Weinstock, inabluemood.blogspot.com
There is nothing like the father-son bond, especially when they share a passion, a profession and the success there of! Such is the case with veteran, jazz guitarist Larry Newcomb who features his son, bassist Jake Newcomb in his quartet for Love, Dad. Dave Marsh (d) and Thomas Royal (p) round out the band. Jake shines on “Tticotism” with Larry standing out on “Love Intentionally”. You may catch the father-son duo streaming on Larry’s Facebook page! ~D. Oscar & Heide Groomes, O's Notes
One of the fascinating things about jazz is the number of families where one or a few of the offspring of a jazz musician follow the same muse and end up as jazz musicians, often playing together their parent. Love, Dad (Essential Messenger – 32021) finds guitarist LARRY NEWCOMB fronting a quartet that includes his son, Jake, on bass with Thomas Royal on piano and Dave Marsh on drums. Larry Newcomb has played in a variety of settings and styles during his busy career. On this ten-song collection, he exhibits his versatility while visiting six original tunes plus “You Stepped Out of a Dream,” “Secret Agent Man,” “The Song Is You” and Oscar Pettiford’s “Tricotism,” a number that gives Jake Newcomb an opportunity to showcase his bassmanship. Originally a blues and rock guitarist, Newcomb got turned onto jazz by a Jim Hall-Ron Carter recording and redirected his attention to the kind of sounds that he now so pleasingly shares with his listeners. ~Joe Lang, Jersey Jazz