The D.B. Shrier Quartet D.B. Shrier Emerges LP

"It's no secret that some—nobody knows how many—exceptional jazz musicians never receive the recognition that their ability warrants." —Alan Sukoenig (from his liner notes)

Dave (D.B.) Shrier was active in the Philadelphia jazz scene of the 1960s. Sadly, his only studio-recorded work was a 1967 private press LP release, D.B. Shrier Emerges by the D.B. Shrier Quartet, on Alfa Records. But, as always, there is far more to the story.

While attending the University of Pennsylvania in 1959, Alan Sukoenig heard jazz emanating from a rehearsal room adjacent to the cafeteria. Sukoenig walked in during a jam session tenor sax player Shrier was having and the two soon became friends, bonding over their shared love of music. A few years later, Shrier recorded soon-to-be Philly legend Hasaan Ibn Ali performing. Shrier let Sukoenig, another fan of Hasaan's work, make a copy.

Fast forward a few decades, as Sukoenig was developing a project which would become 2021's Retrospect In Retirement Of Delay: The Solo Recordings (for which Sukoenig would receive an ASCAP Award for his liner notes), Alan contacted Dave about that original source tape. They had both temporarily forgotten that it had been stolen from Shrier's apartment in 1965. The fascinating story of its acquisition and the search for the non-existent tape is outlined in the liner notes, but one major development in that search was the finding the original tapes for D.B. Shrier Emerges, and other Shrier Quartet recordings.

Now, the Shrier Quartet material has been collected on the expanded reissue of D.B. Shrier Emerges – performed by D.B. Shrier (tenor saxophone), Mike Michaels (piano), Tyrone Brown (bass), and William Roye (drums). The original 5 tracks (featuring performances of "These Foolish Things," Tyrone Brown's "East," and Miles Davis' "All Blues") return on LP, while the CD and Digital formats add 5 bonus tracks (including Charlie Parker's "Steeplechase.")

Produced for release by Sukoenig and Grammy®-winner Cheryl Pawelski (who worked together on both Retrospect In Retirement Of Delay and Metaphysics from Hasaan Ibn Ali), D.B. Shrier Emerges also features restoration and mastering from Grammy®-winning engineer, Michael Graves.

As Sukoenig says in his closing of the notes: "In 1967, D.B. Shrier emerged. Now, in 2023, he's re-emerging, to a new and wider audience. It's a cause for celebration that such wonderful music is back in circulation."

Shrier's slim discography has bumped the prices for OG copies of his lone album into the triple digits, which only makes the arrival of this reissue that much more appreciated. Full credit is due to Michael Graves and Jordan McLeod and mastering engineer Jeff Powell for helping save the crumbling master tapes for this 1967 release. There is still some audible wobbliness to the recording that likely couldn't be avoided, but otherwise, these five songs hit as hard as they did some 55 years ago. Shrier is playing for his very survival on the a-side, attacking bassist Tyrone Brown's original 'East' and pianist Mike Michaels' 'Raveesh' with a blood-speckled fury. The flip shows how Shrier and his quartet could adapt to serve an audience, as they lovingly embrace the standards 'These Foolish Things' and 'All Blues.' The saxophonist, it seems, could do it all. It's a shame we weren't able to hear more of that while he was alive.