Tim Lin’s fourth album as a leader, new release on Sony Music Taiwan.

Tim used to drive hours from New York City to New Hope, Philadelphia just to spend time with Dick Oatts – to take a lesson, fix his horn, give him a new mouthpiece, or just talk shop about jazz improvisation. Tim would call me on his way home and tell me about Dick's transposition exercises or his applications of Afro Cuban rhythms in jazz.

Half a year before this album was recorded, Tim called me with a different tone. Dick had been diagnosed with Vascular Dementia. Even though they had discussed this project frequently, Dick no longer remembered it.

We are grateful that Dick was able to spend one more session with us before his retirement. He was at home in the studio, and after so many conversations about Dick, I was excited to finally meet him. He was easygoing and easy to work with; he lives and breathes musicianship.

A few weeks after the session, Dick texted Tim this: 

"My life as an improviser has set me on a new path. I just have another set of chord changes to master, and no matter what the set back may be, I will have to learn how to navigate in a different world than my original one. This is when I truly learn to improvise from this moment on and the true meaning of learning never stops.”

Tim's favorite recording of Dick's is Two Hearts, and this is Heartfelt, Tim's letter of gratitude to master Oatts.

"I’m Old Fashioned" starts with Rodney's silky groove punctuated by Jeb and David's bouncing bass line. Tim joins in with a thick, full bodied melody as Rodney effortlessly switches to brushes (one of my favorite moments in the whole album!). In the outro, Tim transforms his sound and phrases into a Brecker-like modal frenzy, jumping decades into the future. As Jeb quotes at the end, "I'm Old Fashioned...but It Ain't Necessarily So".

"It’s You or No One" is a fast-swinging romp that clearly shows the Yin and Yang between Dick's alto (angelic, wide, light, and pure) and Tim's tenor (dark, smooth, serious, and direct). The contrast is especially stark when they start trading solos.

Dick's original, "In Passing," is a delicate waltz with a melody that breathes in and out like a living being. My favorite moment is at the end when Dick and Tim incidentally harmonize a beautiful third. 

"I Didn’t Know What Time It Was" features Vincent's velvety baritone rhythmically weaving left and right. Jeb opens with a classic block chord solo and Tim brings the swinging blues, informed by Bob Malach and Stanley Turrentine. On the restatement of the melody, observe how Vincent paints with the word "grand" and "mad".

"I’ll Never Stop Loving You" features Tim's beautiful sound soaring above the shimmering red carpet laid out by the string quartet. Pay attention to the timbre and volume shading of Tim's long tones, evoking the swirling color of an operatic tenor for his loved one.

John Coltrane's classic "Straight Street" makes it clear that we're in New York: sophisticated swing with complex harmony. Tim, Dick, and Jeb all cut through the changes like a knife. I especially like Dick's inventive contouring of his phrases.

"Silvertongue" is my original, dedicated to Horace Silver. Tim overdubbed the lower octave part, evoking the big band sound that Silver would often make with his small ensembles. Chuggy Carter's percussion section adds some extra sexiness with a healthy dose of congas, bongos, triangle, and shakers.

"Hey Lock" is a classic two tenors battle, à la Lockjaw vs Griff. Even though Dick and Tim are playing the same instrument, you can clearly differentiate them based on their sound and phrasing. There's mutual inspiration when they trade solos, as they pass musical figures back and forth like a game of telephone.

The joyful "Alaina" is another Dick tune, this time with a serpentine melody and classic secondary lines. Rodney's intro sets the energy and David's buoyant walking carries that energy through the whole song. Dick's bright, wonder-evoking solo reminds me of those bouncing balls over captions in sing-a-long videos and is the star of this track for me.

Vincent sings a bittersweet and haunting version of "We’ll be Together Again," peppered by counter melodies from both Tim and Dick. Dick’s bluesy wailing counterpoint appropriately captures the “lonesome” and “sad” lyrics.

-Charles Chen