Tetraptych

While some improvisers prefer the freshness of playing with new partners all the time, other practioners of the art find that playing in the same ensemble regularly breeds the kind of empathy and trust that helps them to dig more deeply into making music from the air. Today’s example is Tetraptych, a quartet of tenor saxophonist Hery Paz, pianist Bert Seager, bassist Max Ridley and drummer Dor Herskovits, that’s been playing a regular gig for a while. This is the band’s first release. Their time together on the bandstand and hanging out together during their monthly residencies, pays off in an hour of moody, blues-inflected improvisations. Pianist Seager, a mainstay of the Boston scene since 1981, wrote all the tunes, save for Equanimous Botch, a wide-ranging group improvisation that the band used as a sound check to begin their two days in the studio. As Seager notes, the quartet’s music is “democratic” as they bring his compositions to vibrant life. Paz’s gritty sound on tenor, Seager’s bright piano, Ridley’s minimalist approach to the bass, and Herkovits’ irresistibly bouncy drumming combine in fresh and sometimes unexpected ways. The opening track, Welcoming the Water, has Herkovits leading the way and establishing the fractured rhythms that lie at the heart of this rather angular composition. The quartet’s fierce interdependence is clear as soon as piano, tenor and bass join in, and one of the many pleasures of their music is hearing as it develops and expands in unexpected ways. Paz is strong on this one, rhythmically and harmonically astute. Last Snow is calm and reflective, featuring a breathy Paz evocative of the great Ben Webster. Star Wise, a contrafact of the classic Star Eyes, is lovely, played slowly at first, then picking up speed. The slightly bittersweet melody proves to be a real inspiration for the whole band. There’s at least one other standard lurking in the studio, as the slow ooze of Distances hints at I’m a Fool To Want You in the first section of the melody. In a charming performance, Paz uses the slight hesitation in the theme to give the piece a mildly Latin aspect. The feeling of the blues comes out into the open for the upbeat closer Blues You Can Use, a swinger that. Seager informs us was the first piece that the quartet learned. Paz’s playing here is bold and all over the horn in response to Herkovits’ energized playing. Seager contributes his usual incisive and bold pianism. I particularly enjoyed the bass and drum duet that takes over towards the end of the piece before heading back into the theme. While I admit I have a little trouble pronouncing Tetraptych, that’s the only gripe I have about this beautifully realized session. Enthusiastically recommended.
Red Piano RPR 14599-4426; Hery Paz (ts) Bert Seager (p) Max Ridley (b) Dor Herskovits (d); Boston, MA, July 6-7, 2016; Welcoming the Water/ Last Snow/ Star Wise/ Equanimous Botch/ Distance/ Blues You Can Use; 59:44. redpianorecords.com