Halloween Tales, by Michael Blake
Jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi took inspiration from Christmas and Halloween in memorable scores for Charlie Brown specials in the ‘60s. Saxophonist Michael Blake focuses on the latter holiday, even revisiting a pair of Guaraldi numbers from “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown” in lively interpretations.
Blake also explores the harmonic potential in John Carpenter’s theme for Halloween. He ventures into the Duke Ellington songbook, mining the ominous potential of “Stalking Monster” and “Anatomy of a Murder.” His elegantly turned, emotive sax solos appear at all the right moments, and the piano-bass-drums combo is ace and supportive. They don’t break the mood by showing off how fast they can pluck at their instruments, and when their solos occur, they are short, complementary and not digressive. At times, Blake and pianist Gary Veersace glide around each other like Paul Desmond and Dave Brubeck. Halloween Tales is as close we can get nowadays to one of those great jazz LPs of the late cool era.
