Mitch Dalton‘s name appears on more major recordings than most people could count. He’s been the studio guitarist behind countless sessions, working with legends like Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Melody Gardot, Ella Fitzgerald, and Quincy Jones. But Out of the Shadows, released in August, marks his debut as a solo artist. The album pulls together a stellar London rhythm section, David Arch on keyboards, Steve Pearce on bass, Tim Goodyer on drums, alongside the three-time Grammy-nominated SWR Big Band from Stuttgart and percussionist Edwin Bonilla from Miami.
Across twelve tracks, Dalton explores his love of American music through jazz fusion, blues, the Great American Songbook, Latin rhythms, and bebop. It’s a mix of original material and reimagined standards that showcases decades of musical knowledge without feeling like a lecture. This is what happens when a world-class session musician finally steps center stage.
“First Thoughts Are Best” I believe, is a reference to a person’s instinct. Though those first thoughts can hardly be categorized as thoughts, as they are instinctual reactions to the situation. But the title rolls off the tongue a bit easier. Musicians of this caliber, such as Mitch Dalton and The SWR Big Band featured on the song go by the “Thought is the enemy of flow” a motto coined by legendary drummer Vinnie Colauita. There is plenty of incredible, improvisatory “First Thoughts” of gorgeous music on this song and the rest of this record.
In “Bird Meets Cat” the band stretches their rhythmic imagination as synced lines between guitar and saxophone play the head of the song. (The head is what jazz musicians use to refer to the main melody, if you’re unfamiliar.) And then everybody gets a turn comping and another turn for a solo. It’s like a game of musical chairs, but on the highest level of musicianship, it’s a delight to listen to.
We take a moment for romance with a beautiful vocal song, “We Do It” with Jazz Morley. You probably recognize her from her stunning performance of “Landslide” on The Voice UK a couple of years back. Here, it’s nothing short of incredible, delivering that sultry passion over that bossa nova groove with confidence.
The SWR Big Band is back with Mitch Dalton‘s tasteful cover of Larry Carlton’s “Room 335”. Mitch brings the acoustic guitar’s brightness and resonance to the classic song, and the band provides an evolving, colorful backdrop of harmony all the way through. It’s a beautiful re-interpretation of the original with fresh harmonic and rhythmic choices.
“Besame Mashup” combines the iconic riff and groove of Tito Puente’s “Oye Como Va” with probably the most recorded Spanish language song of all time, Consuelo Velázquez’s “Besame Mucho.” It’s a bold move that could’ve easily felt gimmicky, but Dalton and the SWR Big Band pull it off with genuine reverence for both sources. Sammy Mayne’s flute solo cuts through with that classic Latin jazz brightness, Marc Godfroid’s trombone work adds warmth and depth, and Jazz Morley’s vocal refrain ties the whole thing together.
“Yeh Yeh” is a smoky, bluesy song. Praise be to this amazing rhythm section. Everyone here swings like their life depends on it, and as you know, it don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing. Jazz Morley continues to showcase her diversity with the swinging vocal lines switching to melodic harmonies beautifully.
“Night Birds / Rio Funk” is a delightful merger between jazz fusion a la Chick Corea and traditional warm jazz funk. Its combination of textures and how smoothly the band flows between them is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
“Take the YouTube” has probably the simplest and most mellow groove on the album. Letting the melody really shine. As the wordplay in the title implies, it’s a song you probably wanna listen to on the tube during a nightly commute. Sounds like something off the Fingerprints Larry Carlton album with Mitch Dalton‘s unique touch on top of it.
Next is “Freberg’s Folly”. This is a rhythmically complex and harmonically rich song. It’s a stunning combination of flamenco and jazz that tells a whimsical story about Freberg for those with the ears to listen.
“I Took the Blows” features a delicate performance on a warm nylon-strung guitar at its core. It continues that theme of combining flamenco elements with jazz ones to create something unique in its musicality.
“No Flippin’!” raises the bar of energy with its drum build-up and then goes into what I believe is a direct homage to “Sunshine Of Your Love” by Cream. Intentional or not, but those harmonized sections with the band seem to be quoting those iconic riffs in a jazzy fashion and then refraining to a more traditional style when it comes time for solos.
“LI’l Brian” is a magical ballad that takes its sweet time as it lulls us into a blissful ending to this colorful record. Starting with Mitch Dalton, with a whole minute of solo guitar somberly playing both melody and harmony, I was reminded of Joe Pass’s style of self-accompaniment, then once the big band kicks in, it’s like the credits are rolling on a classic Hollywood movie. But the music isn’t over yet. The band still has more tasteful improvisations up its sleeves. A standout among them is Sammy Mayne on the tenor sax.
Mitch Dalton’s “Out of the Shadows” is a polished instrumental jazz record you can feel comfortable recommending to your nerdiest jazz enthusiast friend. The album feels like a conversation between all of his influences, jazz fusion, Latin rhythms, flamenco touches, and classic American standards. A conversation led by someone who actually lived through hundreds of sessions, not someone who studied these styles theoretically. The SWR Big Band brings weight and sophistication, the London rhythm section keeps everything tight and musical, and the guest soloists all understand when to step forward and when to lay back. For a debut solo record, this is remarkably assured. Dalton finally stepped out of the shadows, and it turns out he had plenty to say.