Tony Adamo; (vocals, sing-speak, programming); Chris Pemental (guitar); Barry Schiffman (recording engineer. Northern Lights Studio. Sanata Rosa, CA)
The great Gil Scott-Heron recorded and released this selection as Lady Day and John Coltrane on what was later to became a critically acclaimed album, Pieces of a Man (Flying Dutchman, 1971). With it, Scott-Heron had moved away from his poetry and spoken word offerings and sang backed by a group of New York’s best. That album has been characterized as a progeniture of rap and hip-hop. Since that time the selection has been recorded numerous times. Most recently by vocalese master, Giacomo Gates (The Revolution Will Be Jazz: The Music of Gil Scott-Heron, Savant 2011).
On Billie and Trane, the Saladin of sing-speak, hipster Tony Adamo takes the Scott-Heron classic and, with a pulsing electro-funk groove accompanying, revisits and reinvigorates the tune by adding his own hip interlude. While not tremendously different tempo-wise than the original groove, this take is a stone locomotive – tough, virile, and with balls-to-the-wall momentum. Adamo, with powerful vocalizing and hip sing-speak adds his trademark jazz history-class original lyrics while sandwiched by the original Scott-Heron verbiage. This approach is a terrific augmentation of the original. San Francisco Area guitar stalwart, Chris Pemental delivers a driving solo, perfectly in sync with both the track’s groove and texture. Adamo himself handled the programming. The production and recording values are outstanding.
Billie and Trane is yet another solid, provocative and enticing recording from Adamo. It is part of a future 2026 album release. And, it continues to validate and insure his legacy as one of our most fascinating jazz griots. Nick Mondello