About 40 years separated drummer Richard Baratta recording with Saheb Sarbib’s big band in the ’80s and helming his own ensemble. In the intervening years, he served as executive producer on major Hollywood films like The Wolf of Wall Street, The Irishman and Joker — among many others. He also worked on five “Spider-Man” movies. But when Baratta pivoted back to a life in jazz, the drummer wanted to ensure his recordings embraced the groove. 
 
“I gotta feel some kind of swing most of the time,” said Baratta, who’s wending career also included a dip into New York’s 1970s loft scene. “You can take me on a little journey, but I want to come back and put my feet on the ground.”
 
His three previous albums for Savant sampled well-known compositions from the film and jazz worlds. But for Looking Back, Baratta convened an intrepid ensemble to wade into a batch of tunes culled from his youth. 
 
As much as he wanted to revisit music from the past, the drummer sought to craft an easily accessible recording. So, Baratta and pianist Bill O’Connell selected songs as seemingly disconnected as James Brown’s “I Feel Good” and Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind,” stringing together 10 tracks perched at the edge of freedom and swing.
 
The organizational acuity needed to marshall the project was readily transferable from Baratta’s work in film — a sometimes arduous endeavor that could involve wrangling hundreds of people. 
 
“It's easy to run a band, if you’ve had to run 600 people when you're making a movie,” he said, comparing the disparate disciplines. “Everything is precise; details are important.”
 
But the bandleader also knew to lean into players’ accrued skills as he developed Looking Back. 
 
“I have ideas about what I'd like to do with the music and ideas that I have for projects. I just have to choose the right people,” Baratta said. “But I always love giving them that freedom. I mean, when you have a super sensitive, creative guitarist like Paul Bollenback, I don't want to put handcuffs on him.”
 
After the drummer and O’Connell chose the album’s material, the pianist penned arrangements with the band’s strengths in mind. And with a background that includes work with Mongo Santamaría, O’Connell injected a Latin feel into a number of selections, including “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “Feeling Good.” 
 
“As I got into it, each tune had its own character,” the pianist said. “I'd run it by Rich, and he'd say, ‘Let's give it a shot.’ It was really finding the direction that we wanted to go in for each tune that made it challenging and rewarding.”
 
Trying to reimagine Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” though, gave him pause. At first. 
 
Baratta’s drums pan from right to left, mimicking Jimmy Page’s guitar on the 1969 original. The group’s updated version retains an aggressive tone and opens up about halfway through for Bollenback and O’Connell to stretch out. Altoist Vincent Herring mostly serves here as punctuation to the song’s melody.
 
The sextet also took on Otis Redding’s “Respect” — a tune that’d be difficult to render as anything other than swinging. But after about a minute of the reworked number, Herring’s barrelling solo transforms the composition. O’Connell’s comping and bassist Michael Goetz keep the band in line, as Baratta, Bollenback and percussionist Paul Rossman daub color on to the proceedings. 
 
“When it comes to playing bebop or straight-ahead music, that's Vincent,” Baratta said about the saxophonist, who appeared on two of the bandleader’s earlier albums. “When you give him a vehicle like ‘Respect,’ you just say, ‘Here's 32 bars, take two choruses.’ I mean, he's instant offense.”
 
Perhaps less transfigured, but no less in the pocket, is the troupe’s take on The Mamas & the Papas’ “California Dreamin’.” Everyone from Wes Montgomery to Diana Krall have recorded versions of the tune, but Baratta never internalized those interpretations. 
 
The bandleader described the tune’s flute solo as revolutionary when he first heard it.
 
“It was just something that I dug listening to,” the bandleader said. “I was listening to jazz at the time — to Trane and Miles — but I was always listening to rock.” 
 
“Hey Jude” follows a few tracks later, reinforcing the drummer’s rock proclivities while also exhibiting a bit of the ensemble’s sensitive side. The arrangement again showcases O’Connell’s impulse to filigree tunes with a Latin feel.
 
If Looking Back is Baratta searching for new challenges and inspiration, he continues to rely on a sturdy premise to creating accessible art. 
 
“There's something here that people can easily grasp,” the bandleader said about his latest effort including a constellation of familiar tunes. “I'm an entertainer and a messenger. I like seeing people feel good, and I want my music to transform them. If I can do that, I've accomplished a lot of what drives me to play music."

-Dave Cantor
Richmond, Virginia

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Music, like life, is constantly changing and evolving with unlimited choices. It’s not always easy for the artist to decide on the next path. 
 
Growing up in what I consider a renaissance of musical creativity, I was inspired by those influences. My primary attraction was to “jazz,” but rock, soul, and funk were not far behind, or I would have missed out on hundreds of teen parties. This project pays homage to 10 of the mid & late 60’s classic popular hits. I turned to close friends, frequent collaborators, and incredible artists/musicians to accomplish this task. Once Bill and I settled on the songs and discussed the feel, Bill put the pen to paper and, as he so aptly does, created some very special arrangements. 
 
Many, many thanks to the incredible musicians on this recording; Chris Sulit for his wizardry behind the mixing board, Barney Fields and Savant Records for allowing me the artistic freedom to follow my chosen direction, and all the people at Savant. There are not enough pages to thank all those people who have encouraged & supported me along my most recent musical endeavors. You know who you are and I want you to know how much I appreciate your friendship. In conclusion, I hope this fresh and original take on these compositions gives you as much joy as it did for us while recording them. 
 
-Richard Baratta