Ramo's 8 String Guitar

Drummer/composer Lawrence Williams was an important member of the Detroit jazz scene in the '80s and '90s before hitting a physical, emotional, and professional wall, moving to Las Vegas, returning to Detroit for a brief period, and passing away in 2006. A powerhouse, bashing kind of drummer along the lines of Elvin Jones, Tony Williams or Jeff Watts, Williams also wrote a couple hundred compositions that emphasized a keen lyrical and melodic sense, modern modal rhythms, and hard swinging attitude. Those pieces will have to be unearthed some other time, for this truly heartfelt tribute to Williams from longtime Detroit trumpet master Marcus Belgrave and ex-Detroit guitarist Michele Ramo mainly consists of well-known standards played with reserve and respect for a fallen friend. The production values of this recording emphasize hushed tones, but a saturated level of sound is also prevalent throughout. Belgrave's tone is not so much fat as it is measured, rounded, and robust. Ramo plays a custom eight-string guitar with the two lower octave strings unfretted so he can play both basslines and chords or single lines. The result is music on the mellow side, reflecting the gentle kindness of not only Williams, but the musical partners. There's always a Brazilian feel extant in Ramo's string work, whether on the title track, his breezy and light original "A Song for a True Artist," or during the no time intro on the lone Williams piece included "Number 6," which unlike the peppy original recording that he and Belgrave did (on the CD Working Together) is here in a longer and much more somber, saddened version, with a stretched solo guitar section. Belgrave's trumpet and flugelhorn work can be atmospheric and breathy as on the extended "If You Could See Me Now," bluesy during "Teach Me Tonight," or straight-ahead and expertly swung as you'd expect during "East of the Sun." The ballad "Where Are You?" accurately wraps up the sentiment about Williams, both past and present, while Ramo's distinctly pronounced basslines on "Angel Eyes" generates another inquisitive and probing motif about the mysterious persona that surrounded Williams. The program concludes with Belgrave's rough-edged voice featured on "What a Wonderful World," a tune he has patented during his frequent tributes to Louis Armstrong. While in many ways this homage offering is typical, the emotional depth surrounding it is not, heightened by the warm tones and hot sonic mix that make the listening experience of this recording, to say the least, compelling. ~ Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide