Reviews:

Rootstime.BE  

A particularly fine album, “Lover to You” by alto saxophonist Hayes Greenfield and double bassist Dean Johnson, a quite unusual combination, I certainly don't know of any other example. But it does work, there is of course a lot of room for both musicians. Of the seven compositions, four were written by Greenfield, we also hear “Ask me now” by Thelonius Monk, the well-known “Secret Love” by Sammy Fain and Francis Webster who wrote it for the musical Calamity Jane starring Doris Day. scored a big hit with it and “Jitterbug Waltz” by Fats Waller. Hayes and Dean's collaboration began about 40 years ago, as a duo they have built a unique relationship as accomplished musicians. “We trust what we hear, freely explore wherever we want to go, challenge one another, and take the exit when it presents itself,” says Hayes in the cover text.

Greenfield is a great composer and he has an extremely catchy sound in his saxophone playing, as he already shows in the opening song “The Music never dies”, a telling title. Dean also makes himself heard with a nice bass solo. “Ask me now” by Monk is, like everything he wrote, an extremely strong composition and Hayes and Dean deliver a great  version here. “My Eileen” is a penetrating declaration of love for a wife or daughter, who knows? In any case, an impressive song. Fortunately, both men's versions of the tear-jerking "Secret Love" are a far cry from Ms. Day's. Fats Waller's strong “Jitterbug Waltz” gets a wonderful rendition here in which the beautiful melody comes into its own, superb. “I can't make you love me like I wish I could” is one of the highlights on this album with its wonderful swing. Dean and Hayes rock out, great. The title track “Lover to you” closes the album in a brilliant way, an emotional ballad that hits the listener straight to the heart! In short, this album is a big surprise.

 Jan van Leersum

Ancient Victories Newsletter

Thank goodness for this CD. The duo work of Hayes Greenfield, alto sax and Dean Johnson, bass, was long overdue for this kind of aural documentation. They mesh, they soar, they anticipate and egg-on one another. They are amusing, playful and thoughtful--as they should be after playing together over the course of 40 years since their first meeting as students at Berklee in Boston. The CD captures that and more in four Greenfield originals and three standards that are anything but standard in their experienced, capable hands. What struck me most is the CD did not get stale and that these are great lyrical artists. They are both very much like skilled vocalists who take a song and make it their own with nuances of phrasing and inflection. This is what you will hear throughout.

Jon Block

New York City Jazz Record

Greenfield’s “The music Never Dies” is a solid opener, the saxophonist utilizing the full scope of his horn; Johnson’s creative accompaniment and brilliant solo suggest milt Hinton’s humor and percussive effects. The extended exploration of Thelonious monk’s “Ask me Now” makes great use of space, and the musicians take the tune into unexpected places. “Secret Love”, a song long part of their live repertoire, is thoroughly reworked. beginning with a staccato introduction and continuing with creative solos, the performance has a sassiness rarely present in interpretations of this standard. Their playful setting of Fats Waller’s “Jitterbug Waltz” showcases the duo’s humor: Greenfield’s veiled song quotes elicit whimsical responses from Johnson. The saxophonist’s “I Can’t make You Love me Like I Wish I Could” has a tongue-in-cheek air, while his bittersweet ballad “Lover to You” conveys heartbreak without a lyric.

Ken Dryden

Independent Jazz Writers

Hi Hayes,
Yes, I did receive it. Thanks! You and Dean have a lovely chemistry together. I dug your intimate interpretations of those Monk and Fats tunes. Very sweet!

Bill Milkowski

Hi Hayes, I'm listening to Lover to You on Bandcamp, and want to commend you and Dean on a very enjoyable duet recording. You both sound completely at ease, and you are fluid, full of playfulness, mostly buoyant (occasionally plaintive) with virtuosically juicy full tone. The originals' melodies make an impression, without strain. An album of jazz that's right for anybody-everybody. Fun and cool. thanks for it!

Howard Mandel