Dedications is a courageous release of solo drumming accompanied by Sommer's creative use of narration and a series of vocal grunts, growls, howls, and other fun vocal embellishments. Each track on the album is dedicated to a giant of jazz drumming and contains the vocabulary/style of the drummer being honored. Sommer's tributes include drummers from both sides of the pond with Dodds, Philly Joe, Blakey, Blackwell, and Roach representing America. On the eastern side of the Atlantic, Sommer also pays respect to Swiss-drummer Pierre Favre and German-drummer Paul Lovens.
The opening track, dedicated to Warren "Baby" Dodds, includes a narration where Sommer reveals Dodds as his primary inspiration and source of his nickname. Sommer includes a section on the woodblocks and his drums have the open, ringing sound that is associated with early jazz drummers. Sommer branches out in some of the recordings to create a "quasi-percussion ensemble." In the recording dedicated to Blakey, Sommer uses an ABA form that begins with timpani, shakers, and a gong that signifies the end of the first section (among other instruments). "A Letter to Paul" even contains a John Cage-esque percussion ensemble sound that includes metallic and glass effects coupled with a haunting vibraphone melody. Overall, the album may surprise some listeners who think it is just an album of drumming. It is not. Although Sommer phrases his lines around the drums very nicely, it's his conceptual palette of percussive orchestration that makes this album worthwhile.
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