Onaje Allan Gumbs
A Sack Full of Dreams
(Showcase/Allegro)
By A. Scott Galloway

This acclaimed pianist/arranger/composer usually makes records in a meticulous manner over many a month. However for this scintillating new disc, he did things the old fashioned way – over two days, all the way live in the studio. Whether having a ball with a comfy old favorite like “Up Jumped Spring,” inviting actor and little known singer Obba Babatunde to revisit the Grady Tate classic “Sack Full of Dreams,” and taking a wistful stroll through a quaint old TV theme known in hipper circles as “The Fishing Pond,” or reaching back to two pieces he composed from very profound mental spaces in 1972 on “People and Love” and “Lament,” Gumbs brings heart and immediacy to the works. The pieces are played in trio and quartet assemblages (often lifted by the percussion of Gary Fritz), and feature guest players Mark Shim on tenor sax, Bob Devos on guitar, Marcus McLaurine on bass and George Gray on drums.e.