The very first time I heard the Count Basie Orchestra live I was completely floored by how this large number of musicians could swing so hard and yet play so softly at the same time. Marshall McDonald’s (20 year veteran from The Count Basie Orchestra) latest offering, “Mama Knows Best” shows off that very same skill in the quartet setting. Marshall McDonald Tenor Saxophone (Count Basie, Abdullah Ibrahim) James Weidman Piano (Cassandra Wilson, Joe Lovano) James Cammack Bass (Ahmad Jamal) Ulysses Owens Jr. Drums (Kurt Elling, Joey Alexander) Opening the set is an original by Marshall, “Take Your Break Now” which is a play on words from Seth Speaks, ‘you may take your break now’. Dedicated to his fellow Pittsburgh, Stanley Turrentine, the Jazz Project takes a gentle ride over this minor blues. Up next is another tune written by McDonald, a nod to Joe Henderson with another spiritual journey. All That Is a name for the Creator of the Universe, that is, there is nothing else, simply All…that is. Everyone gets to speak on this one, including 30 year veteran of the Ahmad Jamal Trio, bass virtuoso James Cammack. Corcovado. And hardly more need be said as this quartet of seasoned New York veterans takes on the Jobim standard brilliantly. Marshall manages to find newly unique yet super tasty phrasing with a nod to Stan Getz, and James Weidman’s stylistic phrasing and touch make this easy listening for all. “You’d be so easy to love….” Everybody sing! A beautiful standard, handled playfully and lightly, with a nod to the years Marshall played with Lionel Hampton, “Gates” would be smiling. Juilliard Graduate, Ulysses Owens, keeps it swingin’ all the way to the Stitt-like turnaround at the end. One day, Marshall said to his mom, I played “I Thought About You” tonight on my gig, and smiling, she started singing “I took a ride on a train, and I thought about you..” Mom you know the words! And now when he plays this song at concerts, and always thinks of him mother singing those words! Weidman turns in a solo here that goosebumps us back into the smoky melody. Samejima Style is dedicated to Marshall’s ultimately cool father-in-law, and the bass line came to him as he pictured Dr. Samejima walking smoothly down the lane. Samejima Style gives Kamesi Washington a polite nod via Pharoah Sanders. Grant Langford of The Airmen of Note says “Samejima Style is a killin’ track!” James Cammack sets the pulse of this hypnotic spiritual chant. Not to be outdone, James Weidman adds his Bill Evans influenced piano to the mix while Ulysses Owens Jr. shows us why his skills sitting the drum kit are in such high demand these days. The title song, written by Marshall in memory of his mother Inez, is about a feeling he had at times when it seems that things were not coming together and then suddenly the right thing would happen, and his wife Rie would exclaim “Mama Knows Everything!” Bop lovers, take notice, a clear nod to Marshall’s deep respect of Sonny Rollins and Dexter Gordon. One day, Marshall’s wife Rie said, I love waltzes! Weeks later he heard this melody in his head, and sitting at the piano quickly wrote down the lyrical melody. With a beautiful solo by the tasteful James Weidman, this keeps the spiritual journey of the Jazz Project going. “Broadway” swings hard softly. Marshall remembers the famous Count Basie version of this one, and he gives a swingin’ Basie Band tinged lyrical version, in fact everyone brings something to the dance on this one. Fast does not have to also be loud, and here the sheer happiness imparted by the band is a beautiful thing. That’s what I’m a-talkin’ about. “Hallelujah” - the Leonard Cohen cover, closes out the session, a song which holds special meaning for Marshall, will make you sing Hallelujah, Hallelujah. This is Marshall’s arrangement in the key of Bb with a nod towards one of his influences, the great Eddie Harris whom he had the pleasure to meet and speak with while on tour in Germany with Lionel Hampton. Marshall and Rie played this song together at their wedding party, and this finishes our journey on Set 1 of The Jazz Project. Stay tuned for Set 2. Liner notes by Buckshot LaFonque