Charles, Play! by Charles Chen

When children play, they pretend. They try out different personas, give themselves arbitrary constraints to force themselves into creativity, and move in as many fast and exhilarating ways as they can. Play is a test of our imagination and abilities, and although we can play alone, it’s much more fulfilling and interesting to play in a group. It’s fitting that the English verb for making music is ‘to play’, and other languages like Mandarin and French agree.

For Charles, Play!, I wanted to play with some of my favorite jazz legends. You can recognize Ralph from listening to just three notes---he has a bright, direct sound and has a knack for playing solos that sound like they could be melodies on their own. Peter and Kenny have worked together on hundreds of albums as the go-to guys for straightahead jazz---you can feel their long relationship through the precision of their interplay. They worked with Ralph many years ago, before Ralph moved to Los Angeles to work on The Tonight Show. This album is a rekindling of old friendships and the beginning of new ones, showcasing the joy of creation and the fun of play.

"How About You" features ensemble hits and cool chords, reminiscent of a Cedar Walton arrangement.

"Be My Love" is a sunny all-smiles bossa that combines Peter's bouncy bass lines, Kenny's impeccable cymbal work, and Ralph's unique bright tone.

I wrote "Peter and the Big Bad Wolf" after being inspired by both Prokofiev's menacing "wolf" theme and the iconic Art Blakey shuffle. The melody features an exciting cat and mouse (Peter and the Wolf?) chase between the saxophone and the bass.

For a long time, playing ballads was my biggest blind spot. During COVID, I worked on improving the depth of my harmonies, my piano touch, and my lyricism. Peter's lyrical solo and Kenny's delicate brushwork round out the picture on "These Foolish Things".

We feature Kenny's fast brushwork on "Swing State", a contrafact of “Indiana". Even at this blazing fast tempo, he never runs out of ideas.

"Passport” is a relaxed-to-the-point-of-drunken interpretation of the classic Bird composition. Ralph tells me he "thinks in this tempo".

I wrote "Chopin" after my teacher Andy LaVerne challenged me to write a song that only uses the Dorian and Lydian modes. It's a slow brooding waltz where Ralph's sax wails like a ghost while the rest of the band crawls like a slow spider. The band briefly stops after each chorus, reminiscent of a recurring nightmare.

"Golson" is my homage to the great composer Benny Golson, with wandering quarter and half note melodies, a logical bass line, and some light ensemble hits.

"Simple Pleasure" was the first song I heard Ralph play. It's a classic Cedar Walton song with a perfect combination of synchronized hits, a singable melody, and a very logical chord progression.

Charles Chen

Charles Chen is from Cupertino, California. He performed or recorded with Billy Drummond, Bob Sheppard, Roy McCurdy, Ralph Moore, Peter Washington, and Kenny Washington. He studied with Andy Laverne, David Hazeltine, Mike LeDonne, David Kikoski, and Michael Weiss. Charles won first place at the 2019 Jazz Search West competition. Outside of music, he performs magic and works as a software engineer.