Dave Sewelson: More Music For A Free World

Baritone saxophonist Dave Sewelson is probably best known as a member of the long-running Microscopic Septet. He steps out on his own with More Music For A Free World, a brawny, take-no-prisoners excursion into freely improvised music. His companions are the well-traveled trombonist Steve Swell, the inimitable William Parker on bass, and the relatively obscure Marvin “Bugalu” Smith on drums. Smith played in the Sun Ra Arkestra in the Eighties, then reappeared on the scene in the early part of this century, recording with pianist David Haney and saxophonist Teodross Avery. The quartet comes out wailing on Memories, with everyone listening closely and contributing to the overall effect. The attractive combination of baritone sax and trombone has not been exploited very much in jazz over the years. Offhand, I can only think of a 1957 Curtis Fuller session with Tate Houston on baritone, Gerry Mulligan with Bob Brookmeyer on valve trombone in the mid-Fifties, a couple of obscure Serge Chaloff live recordings made in 1950, and Music For A Free World, this group’s debut (FMR, 2018). Sewelson and Swell have both been members of Parker’s large ensembles, and so their dynamic interplay comes as no surprise. Parker is well-known as a powerhouse soloist, and he’s adroit in that role, but it’s his rock-solid ensemble work that stands out here, along with his occasional dialogues with drummer Smith. Smith kicks off the second track, Dreams, with a grooving drum solo, and the band moves into nearly a half-hour of inspired activity. Most often, it seems like four people are soloing at the same time, popping in and out of the musical scrum as the circumstances demand. I love the way that Smith comments on the proceedings and subtly ups the tempo around the 4-minute mark, adding more grit and force to the ensemble. From that point, the music takes off for parts unknown. Once again, the horns drop out for a spell, leading to a particularly fine bass and drums section, before Sewelson and Swell come back to toss riffs back and forth over mildly agitated rhythms. The finale, Reflections, eases up on the tempo, but maintains their core approach of open-ended improvisation. This is the kind of free jazz that will have you nodding your head and tapping your feet in response to the quartet’s freewheeling power if you haven’t fled the room at the first hint of their forceful attitude. Count me as one who happily sticks around for all of it.
Mahakala Music MAHA20-002; Steve Swell (tbn) Dave Sewelson (bari s) William Parker (b) Marvin "Bugalu" Smith (d); Brooklyn, NY, December 17, 2018; Memories/ Dreams/ Reflections; 59:00. sewelsonics.com

Pago Libre: Mountain Songlines & John Wolf Brennan: Nevergreens

As we’ve seen, the musical madcaps of Pago Libre take their influences from anything and everything, from the great world of the movies to the Dada movement. So why not mountains and hiking for their latest effort, Mountain Songlines? It seems that pianist and composer John Wolf Brennan really likes to get out and walk. And when you do that in Switzerland, well, you’ve seen pictures of the Alps even if you haven’t been there, so you can just imagine the combination of will, stamina, and conditioning one needs to get out on the ridges for a hike. As Brennan says to Peter Monaghan in the liner notes, when “you hike in the mountains, especially in bad weather ... every step has to be taken cautiously. And standing still is not an option.” In a sense, that’s also true of music that combines improvisation with composition. Pago Libre is celebrating 30 years of doing just that with their music. In the current edition of the band, hornman Arkady Shilkloper and Brennan, who’ve been there all along, are now joined by violinist Florian Meyer and bassist Tom Götze. Brennan’s beautiful Hornborn Hymn, emphasizing the chamber music aspect of his influences, starts the proceedings, with Shilkloper leading the way. The more experimental side of the band comes into play with another Brennan composition, GTE (Grande Traversata Elbana), his impression of walking a 60-kilometer trail that traverses the island of Elba. Brennan uses his piano variations of arco- and pizzicatopiano on this one, giving the piece an other-worldly feeling, probably not dissimilar from the disorienting sense of standing atop Monte Capanne surrounded by the land which is itself surrounded by the ocean. On one hand, there is so much theory and background for this music that Monaghan takes six pages of small type in the booklet to describe some of the many aspects of life and music that become transformed into sound. We read about Brennan’s fascination with the work of ethnomusicologist Alfred Leonz Gassmann (manifested on Hol-di-o-U-ri!), Shilkloper’s tongue-in-cheek explanation of how he composed his ravishing The Melody of the Earth, dedicated to the dolphins of the world, and Mayer’s experience of mysterious voices in the middle of the night which led to Urwuchs, his first composition for the group. On the other hand, there is so much beauty amid the often unexpected combinations of sound from these four inventive musicians and guest yodeler and vocalist Sonja Morgenegg that, although helpful in detail, you don’t really need too much of the background to enjoy their blend of jazz sensibilities, folk song orientation, Swiss motifs, and sheer creativity in the context of a drum-less chamber group. Mountain Songlines is an absolute winner, heartily recommended.

In addition to his endeavors with Pago Libre, pianist John Wolf Brennan has recorded many sessions of his own in an array of contexts. He likes to think big, and the notes for Nevergreens, his anthology of solo performances, reveal that the tracks first appeared on six different albums, released between 1989 and 2009. They’re conceived as the “blue trilogy,” on the Creative Works label, followed by the “yellow trilogy,” with two titles on Creative Works and The Speed Of Dark (Leo). A third trilogy is promised, but in the meantime, we have this mash-up of tracks from half-a-dozen projects, plus The Homing, a short work composed for a “radiophonic play” in 2009. Faithful chronicler Peter Monaghan contributes a thoughtful essay that touches on Brennan’s career and the life experiences that inform his wide-ranging music making. In brief, the Irish-born Brennan’s family moved to central Switzerland when he was young, and between the Irish lullabies that his mother would sing, music lessons that he started at age 11, Swiss folk songs, and much more, Brennan has developed an especially inspired life in music. Monaghan describes him as “a musical explorer and geographer, crafting jazz-related soundscapes,” an assessment that gets it exactly right. For anyone not familiar with his work, Nevergreens seems like an awfully good place to start, as Brennan has assembled and sequenced this CD with an ear towards representing the key aspects of his work. There’s the lovely dance of Belles ‘n’ Decibels, the nuanced exploration of minimalist music via Para.Ph(r)ase (a gloss on Steve Reich’s Violin Phase), the mellow strains of Strollin’ down Memory Lane, the stately and stunningly beautiful Circle of Coherence, and the ruminative Fake Five, to pick just a few pieces. A Brennan recital is likely to include explorations of the piano’s innards. One variation he calls arcopiano, created with fishing line and bow hairs, which achieves a surprisingly clamorous drone on Isle of View. Then there’s the pizzicatopiano, which duets with Brennan’s melodica via overdubbing on Lost im Violin. There’s also a piece with prepared piano, the ghostly dance he calls Rump-L-Rumba. There’s plenty to enjoy here, and clearly there’s a lot more music to explore alongside one of creative music’s most intrepid figures. Happily recommended.
Mountain Songlines: Leo CD LR 886; Arkady Shilkloper (horn, alphorn [9,13], alperidoo [3], vcl [8]) Florian Mayer (vln, vcl [8]) John Wolf Brennan (p, arco-/pizzicatopiano [2,3,5,11], vcl [8]) Tom Götze (b, vcl [8]] Sonja Morgenegg (yodel [9], vcl [12]); Winterthur, Switzerland, February 19-20, 2020; exc. 13, Dresden, Germany, February 8, 2018; 1.Hornborn Hymn/ 2. GTE (Grande Traversata Elbana)/ 3.Urwuchs/ 4. ...von der armenischen Prinzessin (Armenian Princess)/ 5.PreGap: At the Abyss of Nothing/ 6.Cümbüs/ 7.Ridge Walk/ 8.Hol-di-o-U-ri!/ 9.Tü-da-do/ 10.Selbsanft/ 11.Vertical Vectors/ 12.The Melody of the Earth/ 13. Bonus track: Medley “Mountain Songlines” (YouTube video soundtrack); 55:24.
Nevergreens: Leo CD LR 865; John Wolf Brennan (p, melodica [6,12], arcopiano [7], pizzicatopiano [6], prepared p [11]); Ludwigsburg, Germany, 1989 (1,2,5,10,13,14,19) or 1991 (4,9,18), Weggis, Switzerland, 1998 (7,11), Boswil, Switzerland, 2002 (20), Winterthur, Switzerland, 2009 (3,6,8,15-17), and Zurich, Switzerland, 2009 (12); 1.Did U see the Way?/ 2.Parto/ 3.Ever for Never/ 4.Belles ‘n’ Decibels/ 5.Kerava/ 6.Lost im Violin/ 7.Isle of View/ 8.Para.Ph(r)ase/ 9.Phi/ 10.Strollin’ down Memory Lane/ 11.Rump-L-Rumba/ 12.Homing/ 13.Circle of Coherence/ 14.Goofy’s Waltz/ 15. Auf Valser Pfaden -Läntahütte/ 16.Auf Valser Pfaden -Murmelitanz (Marmot’s Dance)/ 17.Auf Valser Pfaden -Zerfeila/ 18.Fake Five/ 19.Song of the Moon/ 20.Kyoto; 73:24. www.leorecordsmusic.com www.leorecords.com

Pago Libre: Cinémagique 2.0 & platzDADA!!

The intertwined history of music and the cinema is a vast, complex topic. Back in 2000, the international quartet known as Pago Libre recorded an album for the Swiss TCB label that they called Cinémagique. Now reissued as Cinémagique 2.0, two short tracks from the original disc have been removed and three compatible bonus tracks from a 2004 concert recording have been added in a resequenced and remastered edition that also includes a booklet with brief notes for the tracks, an appreciation of the album that appeared in the All Music Guide, a band discography, and photos from the quartet’s 30 years of activity. Subtitled Sixteen Soundtracks for an Imaginary Cinema, the set includes compositions from all members of the group, usually alone but sometimes in collaboration. The CD also features an arrangement by pianist John Wolf Brennan of music by Erik Satie (the evocative Entr’acte: Le Tango d’E.S.) and a lovingly straight-forward adaptation of a Brahms lullaby by Tscho Theissing, the group’s violinist. One high point among many is Arkady Shilkloper’s Folk Song, which features some vigorous solo work by violinist Theissing. It’s characterized by Brennan as “a marriage of Ireland and Moldavia.” The pianist’s Suonatina, which he describes as “a little flirt with the classical sonata form,” is another standout piece, with delicate and beautifully balance playing by the ensemble. Brennan’s descriptive liner notes lead off with this quote from the great director Alfred Hitchcock: “We try to tell a good story and develop a hefty plot. Themes emerge as we go along.” I can’t think of a better way to conceptualize what these improvisers are up to. The quartet makes delicious music for headphone listening. You can concentrate on the deft interplay of the quartet while you conjure up cinematic images to go along with the music. Pago Libre’s basic instrumentation of Shilkloper’s horn, Theissing’s violin, Brennan’s piano, and Daniele Patumi on bass (replaced by Georg Breinschmid on the live tracks) allows the music to go in any direction at all, and they frequently surprise the listener by taking the non-obvious path. Echoes of jazz, classical music, folk songs, bits of and much more coalesce in this long-running ensemble’s unique vision and deep-seated commitment to free expression, while having plenty of fun along the way. Musical magic indeed! 

These days, Switzerland is widely known for its political neutrality, breathtaking scenery, chocolate, and clocks. But let’s not forget that the world-changing art movement known as Dada started at the Cabaret Voltaire in Zürich, Switzerland, in 1916. The members of the Pago Libre Sextet certainly haven’t forgotten, and they also recall that Vladimir Ilych Lenin lived across the street. If you Google the word ‘dada,’ you’ll get something like 248 million hits, but I think that all you’ll need to gain an understanding of dada is to press play on platzDADA!! This set was originally issued in 2008 by Christoph Merian Verlag in Basel, now remastered and reissued on Leo Records, home for many of Pago Libre’s projects. Dada, at the start, was as much an verbal art as a visual one, thanks to contributions by memorable individuals like Hans Arp, Kurt Schwitters, and Tristan Tzara. Arp and Schwitters are the main sources of the poems on platzDADA!!, along with original bits of nonsense by pianist John Wolf Brennan, bassist Georg Breinschmid, and Russian poet Danlil Charms. To set the scene, the lengthy CD opens with Breakfast at Vladimir Ilych, a sort of dramatization of Lenin taking a phone call at home. From there, the sextet plunges into Dadábylon, written by the band, followed closely by the title track, the first of the Hans Arp settings with music by Brennan. The enclosed booklet includes all the texts and their sources, plus notes on the poets and a few reviews from 2008. Because of all the nonsensical verbiage and widely varied musical settings, this is actually quite a funny disc, but in its relentless cacophony of voices and instruments, it also works as a way to clear the room. Anybody who stays for the whole thing will have one hell of a good time. Dada lives!!
Cinémagique 2.0: Leo CD LR 863; Arkady Shilkloper (horn, flgh, alphorn on 7,11; alperidoo on 6; voice on 5,12) Tscho Theissing (vln; voice on 1,4,5,12,16) John Wolf Brennan (p, arcopiano & melodica on 7; voice on 5,12) Daniele Patumi (b, voice on 5,12) George Breinschmid (b on 14-16); Winterthur, Switzerland, April 2000, exc. 14-16, Feldkirch, Austria, 2004; 1.Enticing/ 2. A bout de souffle/ 3.Synopsis/ 4.Kissing Joy (as it flies)/ 5.Tikkettitakkitakk/ 6.Alperiduo/ 7. Nostalghia/8.Entr-acte: Le Tango d’E.S./ 9.Folk Song/ 10.Suonatina/ 11.Little Big Horn/ 12.Dance of Kara Ben Nemsi/ 13.Aimez-vous Brahms?/ 14.Tupti-Kulai/ 15.RMX/ 16.Rasenade Gnome; 73:44.
platzDADA!!: Leo CD LR 887; Arkady Shilkloper (horn, flgh, alphorn, vcl, ratchet) Tscho Theissing (vln, vcl, ratchet) John Wolf Brennan (p, vcl, ratchet; pizzicatopiano on *) Georg Breinschmid (b, vcl, ratchet) Patrice Héral (d, vcl, ratchet) Agnes Heginger (vcl, ratchet); Winterthur, Switzerland, May 2006 & October 2007, except for #, Lucerne, Switzerland, May 15, 2005; Breakfast at Vladimir Ilych/ Dadábylon/ platzDADA!!/ SinnDong/ Sankt Ziegenzack St. Fassanbass/ Die gestiefelten Sterne/ te gri ro ro/ Uhrmusik: Sekundenzeiger/ Weltwunder/ Wolkenpumpentango/ Schnauze, Puppe!/ ETANOSRU EUTONARS (Largo/ Rakete/ Durchführung/ Tillll, Jüü-Kaa? What a beauty!/ Schwitters gruuft)/ Die Welt/ ¿Nana?*/ Ich bin ein Schwein/ trains.plains/ Das fröhliche Greislein/ Drone Dance/ A klanes Brabitschek/ Schnickschnack#; 73:44. www.leorecords.com

Larry Willis: I Fall In Love Too Easily

Pianist Larry Willis had a long and varied career before he passed away in September 2019, not even a month after he convened a quintet at the Van Gelder studio to record I Fall In Love Too Easily. Interestingly enough, it’s the same studio where he appeared for his first session in January 1965 for Jackie McLean’s Right Now! album. Over the decades, he was associated with McLean, Hugh Masekela, Joe Henderson, and Woody Shaw, among many others. His best known gigs were in the groups Blood, Sweat & Tears (1972-77) and The Fort Apache Band (1993-96). While he didn’t record much as a leader until the late Eighties, he made up for lost time with recordings on SteepleChase, Mapleshade, and HighNote. His crisp touch and deep blues orientation always make his work a pleasure to listen to, and this release is no exception. He’s joined here by fellow HighNote artist Jeremy Pelt on five tracks and alto saxophonist Joe Ford on four tunes, with Blake Meister on bass and the always-enjoyable Victor Lewis on drums. Ford was Wallis’ partner in the Fort Apache band and many other situations over a 30 year span. Ford’s Today’s Nights, a mid-tempo swinger, starts off the proceedings in style. Willis’ Heavy Blue follows, a quick funk line that the pianist first performed with Blood, Sweat & Tears back in 1976. The band is on fire for this one, with Lewis’ exciting drumming a key component. Santi Debriano’s Anna, a pretty ballad played by the rhythm section, cools things down considerably. Willis plays it tenderly and with great feeling. Kirk Lightsey’s Habiba, played at a finger-snapping tempo, becomes a real showcase for the horns. Ford is first, with an excited and fluent solo, then it’s Pelt’s turn to delve into the tune’s attractive melody. The Meaning of the Blues, a Bobby Troup composition from 1957, features an arrangement that puts the band to the test by having them play very slowly. Trumpeter Pelt takes the first solo gorgeously, and the success of this performance is never in doubt. The quiet mood is sustained on Let’s Play, a Willis original that served as the title song for a 1991 SteepleChase album and is played without the horns. Jack DeJohnette’s Climax was one of the numbers on the McLean date that began Willis’ recording career in 1965. He hadn’t put it on tape since then, so it’s interesting that it’s included here. The quintet has a ball with it, with powerful solos by Pelt and Ford. In his dynamite accompaniment and a brief solo, Victor Lewis proves once again why he’s been a first-call drummer since he first came on the scene in the mid-Seventies. Ending the set is a charming and insightful solo piano version of I Fall in Love Too Easily, the 1944 Jule Styne composition (with lyrics by Sammy Kahn) that’s been a favorite of improvisers ever since. It’s a truly lovely way to end the CD, and a fitting coda for a journeyman pianist. Recommended.
HighNote HCD 7326; Jeremy Pelt (tpt on 1,2,4,5,7) Joe Ford (as on 1,2,4,7) Larry Willis (p) Blake Meister (b, exc on 8) Victor Lewis (d, exc on 8); Englewood Cliffs, NJ, September5, 2019; 1.Today’s Nights/ 2.Heavy Blue/ 3.Anna/ 4.Habiba/ 5.The Meaning of the Blues/ 6.Let’s Play/ 7.Climax/ 8.I Fall in Love Too Easily; 50:34. www.jazzdepot.com

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers: Just Coolin’

It was passed over for initial release, then omitted from a series of Blue Note vault issue programs, but now, 60 years after it was recorded in Rudy Van Gelder’s Hackensack studio, we all get to hear Just Coolin’, a March 1959 session by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers. This was a short-lived edition of the band, with tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley back in the group for a few months, Lee Morgan on trumpet, Bobby Timmons on piano, and Jymie Merritt on bass. Four of these pieces were recorded live for the band’s At The Jazz Corner Of The World double-album about six weeks after this studio session. Mobley’s three numbers (Hipsippy Blues, the finger-snapping M&M and the title track) plus Bernice Petkere’s Close Your Eyes made it to the Birdland stage, so this album stayed on the shelf. There are plenty of flashes of brilliance throughout, especially from the perennially underrated Mobley (who suffers from a squeaky reed on Timmons’ hip but otherwise unrecorded Quick Trip and elsewhere) and the much-praised Morgan. But as a band effort the music doesn’t always cohere, and for a ensemble that had so many great days in the studio and documented in performance, this set seldom rises to the heights. Still, previously unheard solos by Lee Morgan are always a plus, and from a historical perspective, this set adds insight into a transitional period for the band. It’s also a curious fact that this 60-year old music sounds as fresh as yesterday, while in 1959, styles that were prevalent even just 30 years before seemed terribly dated. Recommended.
Blue Note; Lee Morgan (tpt) Hank Mobley (ts) Bobby Timmons (p) Jymie Merritt (b) Art Blakey (d); Hackensack, NJ, March 8, 1959; Hipsippy Blues/ Close Your Eyes/ Jimerick/ Quick Trick/ M&M/ Just Coolin’; 38:57. www.bluenote.com

Woody Shaw Quintet: Basel 1980 & Tokyo 1981

The dynamic and musically astute trumpeter Woody Shaw formed his first quintet in late 1977. By the time of the Woody Shaw Quintet’s performance in Basel 1980, pianist Larry Willis and bassist Stafford James had replaced Onaje Allen Gumbs and Clint Houston, while saxophonist Carter Jefferson and drummer Victor Lewis remained in the band. As Michael Cuscuna, producer of many Woody Shaw sessions, writes in his liner notes to this set, “It is a testament to Woody’s leadership that the character of the band, though altered by new members, remained essentially the same.” It’s a typically accurate judgment from Cuscuna, and the proof lies in the high quality of Shaw’s releases over a period of years, plus a number of live recordings that have surfaced since he passed away in 1989. Shaw was a fine composer as well as a trumpet master, and his sets would usually feature a few of his own tunes along with well-chosen standards and jazz compositions. For their Swiss audience, the band presented Shaw’s Stepping Stones and Theme For Maxine, plus tunes by drummer Victor Lewis (Seventh Avenue) and bassist Stafford James (the uptempo Teotihuacan). Dave Brubeck’s In Your Own Sweet Way, possibly his most-frequently covered tune and a favorite of Miles Davis, was also a staple of Shaw’s sets. Another pianist’s popular tune, Thelonious Monk’s ‘Round Midnight also makes an appearance, in a delicately paced performance that features some lovely improvising by Shaw and Willis. The third song penned by a pianist is Joe Bonner’s Love Dance, the title track of Shaw’s 1975 Muse album and a piece he really loved to play. The lone standard in Basel is Bronislaw Kaper’s Invitation, which opens the show. Shaw and company really liked to stretch out when performing for an audience, and they use the time for extended and boldly investigative soloing. Only the closing Theme For Maxine is less than 11 minutes long, and one of the joys of a Woody Shaw set is the continued sense of fresh discovery that the band makes evident on stage. It’s an excellent set, very nicely recorded, and the enthusiastic Swiss audience wanted even more. Our bonus track is a quartet exploration of the Carl Fischer-Frankie Laine standard We’ll Be Together Again, taken from an appearance at the 1981 Lustenau Jazz Festival in Austria. Once again the band has changed, with Mulgrew Miller at the piano and Tony Reedus on drums, with Stafford James still on bass. It’s not as well recorded, and at first the performance is a bit lackluster when compared to the Basel material, but after a sparkling piano solo by the much-missed Miller, Shaw takes charge and plays a powerful solo before taking the tune out. The booklet includes Cuscuna’s notes, an essay by Woody Shaw III, and well-chosen photographs of the musicians. Totally recommended, like pretty much everything that Shaw ever played.

With the addition of trombonist Steve Turre, the same Woody Shaw band that appears on the bonus track from Austria is presented on Tokyo 1981, recorded in December of that year. Shaw and Turre were both members of the 1973 edition of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, and they continued to be close friends and musical partners. When I worked as a soundman at Keystone Korner in this period, I had the good fortune to be working on a Monday when the Shaw quintet played for one night while they were either on the way to Japan or on the way back to New York. It was a great night of music, and part of the excitement was the novelty of hearing two brassmen as the front line. From Tokyo 1981's introduction in Japanese, it seems that this set was sourced from a radio broadcast. Kicking off with Shaw’s enduring composition Rosewood, the band is playing at their usual high level of swing and melodic invention. Two songs from the Basel show reappear, Monk’s ‘Round Midnight (with a bravura ending solo by Shaw) and the snippet of Theme for Maxine that concludes the set. The performance includes a compelling extended version of Shaw’s Song Of Songs, which served him well after its debut as the title track of his 1972 Contemporary album. Miller’s churning Apex really inspires Shaw, who tears off a spectacular solo, with drummer Reedus kicking it along in high gear. Another Shaw composition, the mellow ballad From Moment to Moment, was relatively new at the time, but the quintet sounds thoroughly at home with it. Turre’s gravelly solo on the bass trombone is a highlight, as is Miller’s inventive solo. Shaw’s closing announcement, delivered over the introduction to Theme For Maxine, is greeted with warm applause from the audience. I almost found myself applauding at home. The bonus track for this CD is a version of Shaw’s Sweet Love Of Mine, excerpted from a Dutch performance with the Paris Reunion Band, described by Michael Cuscuna as “a collective formed in 1985 by American musicians who had transplanted themselves on the active Paris jazz scene of the late ‘60s.” The tune first appeared on Jackie McLean’s Demon’s Dance, recorded at the end of 1967, and the attractive melody was a staple of the Paris Reunion Band’s book for the three years that the group lasted. The rhythm section of Kenny Drew on piano, Jimmy Woode on bass, and Billy Brooks on drums gives the piece a samba feeling, and Woody plays a genuinely inspired solo before yielding the spotlight to tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin, another consummately reliable soloist. We also hear from pianist Drew and drummer Brooks in a series of exchanges with the band before they return to the theme. Shaw’s numerous recordings depict him as ever-evolving and growing as a player, and it’s always a pleasure to savor some newly uncovered examples of his artistry. Recommended, of course.
Basel 1980: Elemental Music 5990432; Woody Shaw (tpt, flgh) Carter Jefferson (ts, ss) Larry Willis (p) Stafford James (b) Victor Lewis (d); Basel, Switzerland, January 16, 1980; exc * Shaw (t) Mulgrew Miller (p) James (b) Tony Reedus (d); Lustenau, Austria, June 20, 1981; Disc 1 (63:57): Invitation/ Seventh Avenue/ In Your Own Sweet Way/ Stepping Stone. Disc 2 (61:47): Love Dance/ ‘Round Midnight/ Teotihuacan/ Theme for Maxine/ We’ll Be Together Again*. 
Tokyo 1981: Elemental Music 5990429; Woody Shaw (tpt, flgh) Steve Turre (tbn, perc) Mulgrew Miller (p) Stafford James (b) Tony Reedus (d); Tokyo, Japan, December 7, 1981; exc. * The Paris Reunion Band [Shaw, Dizzy Reece (tpt) Slide Hampton (tbn) Johnny Griffin (ts) Nathan Davis (ts, ss) Kenny Drew (p) Jimmy Woode (b) Billy Brooks (d); Den Haag, The Netherlands, July 14, 1985; Rosewood/ ‘Round Midnight/ Apex/ From Moment to Moment/ Song of Songs/ Theme for Maxine/ Sweet Love of Mine*; 73:30. elemental-music.com

Dexter Gordon: At The Subway Club 1973 & Tokyo 1975

I’ve been enjoying a significant series of historical releases on the Elemental Music label featuring bandleaders tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon and trumpeter Woody Shaw. These previously unreleased tracks have been sitting unheard since they were recorded between 1965 (Gordon in Germany) and 1981 (Shaw, with one track by the Paris Reunion Band in 1985). Now licensed and fully authorized, each set offers bonus tracks drawn from other performances. 

Until he formed his own quartet in the late Seventies, the magisterial tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon toured most often as a single, assembling new bands in every town. The welcome release of the two-CD set At The Subway Club 1973 provides a few snapshots of three different editions of the Dexter Gordon Quartet. The main event, mostly well recorded at a German night club in September 1973, takes up all of the first disc plus the first tune on disc 2. His comrades for this evening were pianist Irv Rochlin, bassist Henk Haverhoek and drummer Tony Inzalaco. Not exactly household names, even in the most jazz-obsessed home, but they acquit themselves quite well. The leader is in a typically expansive mood, stretching out even on tunes not usually in his repertoire, like Wave, the Antonio Carlos Jobim classic that opens the show. Jimmy Webb’s Didn’t We is next, with Gordon in story-telling mode as he limns the melody after reciting a few lyrics. The whole crew flies through On the Trail, from Ferde Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite (1933), which has been a staple for improvisation for decades. A muscular romp through another favored Gordon song, Secret Love from the Webster-Fain musical Calamity Jane (1953), concludes the first CD. Leading off the second disc is a 27-minute excursion through the Jule Styne-Sammy Cahn standard It’s You or No One. This was one of Dex’s favorite vehicles for improvisation, and he soars through the song to close the set. To fill out the second disc, the producers have come up with material from two earlier European performances. We get to hear him play Fried Bananas, a Gordon original that he played frequently, and to caress the ballad Some Other Spring, best known from Billie Holiday’s 1939 recording, from a 1971 appearance in the Netherlands quality and the all-Dutch rhythm section of Cees Slinger on piano, Maarten van Regteren Altena on bass, and Martin van Duyhoven on drums. Then we slip further back into the past for renditions of Monk’s ‘Round Midnight and Tadd Dameron’s Lady Bird taken from a 1965 German concert with the curious grouping of George Gruntz on piano, Jimmy Woode on bass, and Stu Martin on drums. Sound quality on the Dutch set is acceptable, though I would be happier with more saxophone in the mix. The 1965 material is a bit murky, with the drums way down in the mix, but Dexter is in good form. It’s the earliest known performance of the Monk tune by Gordon, though he sounds thoroughly at home with it. Short liner essays by Maxine Gordon, Dexter’s widow and biographer, and Michael Cuscuna, who produced a number of Dexter Gordon albums in the late Seventies and early Eighties, provide valuable context and background for this very satisfying release. Recommended. 

When the Dexter Gordon Quartet played a night in Tokyo 1975, the personnel was a group that the saxophonist played with frequently in Copenhagen, his home at the time. Fellow expatriate Kenny Drew was on piano, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen was on bass, and Albert “Tootie” Heath was on drums, an exceptionally swinging and supportive rhythm section. The audience is quite enthusiastic as the quartet offers another helping of Fried Bananas, follows up with Days of Wine and Roses, a Henry Mancini-Johnny Mercer song that appeared on Gordon's Tangerine Lp (Prestige, 1972), and the much-loved Erroll Garner song Misty, before the set ends with Gordon singing a couple of choruses on the Billy Eckstine blues Jelly, Jelly, Jelly. Drew and NHØP play on the first bonus track, a version of Monk’s Rhythm-a-Ning recorded in 1973 in the Netherlands with drummer Espen Rud on board. Gordon is in a fun mood in a long exchange with Rud before the out-chorus. The last track jumps ahead in time to 1977, for a gorgeous version of Old Folks, a tune from 1938 by Dedette Lee Hill and Willard Robison. The rhythm section of pianist Ronnie Mathews, bassist Stafford James, and drummer Louis Hayes is the same as on his well-received Homecoming album, recorded in late 1976. Mathews shines here, with a dynamic solo sandwiched between two of the saxophonist’s forays. Informative liner notes by Maxine Gordon and Michael Cuscuna plus period photos in a 16-page booklet made a perfect complement to the music. 

Subway Club: Elemental Music 5990433; Dexter Gordon (ts) Irv Rochlin (p) Henk Haverhoek (b) Tony Inzalaco (d); Köln, West Germany, September 11, 1973; exc. *Gordon (ts) Cees Slinger (p) Maarten van Regteren Altena (b) Martin van Duyhoven (d); Den Haag, The Netherlands, March 22, 1971; and #Gordon (ts) George Gruntz (p) Jimmy Woode (d) Stu Martin (d); Stuttgart, West Germany, November 23, 1965; Disc 1 (68:12): Wave/ Didn’t We/ On the Trail/ Secret Love; Disc 2 (76:50): It’s You or No One/ Fried Bananas*/ Some Other Spring*/ ‘Round Midnight#/ Lady Bird#. 

Tokyo 1975: Elemental Music 5990428; Dexter Gordon (ts; vcl on #) Kenny Drew (p) Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (b) Albert “Tootie” Heath (d); Tokyo, Japan, October 1, 1975; exc. * Gordon (ts) Drew (p) Pedersen (b) Espen Rud (d); Laren, The Netherlands, July 18, 1973; and #Gordon (ts) Ronnie Mathews (p) Stafford James (b) Louis Hayes (d); New Haven, CT, May 5, 1977; Fried Bananas/ Days of Wine and Roses/ Misty/ Jelly, Jelly, Jelly#/ Rhythm-a-Ning*/ Old Folks#; 63:42. elemental-music.com

Paul Desmond: The Complete 1975 Toronto Recordings

Will wonders never cease? I sure hope not, as the latest treasure to make its way to my CD player is the astounding 7-disc set by alto saxophone master Paul Desmond, entitled The Complete 1975 Toronto Recordings. Extensive liner notes by Doug Ramsey, who knew Desmond well and wrote Take Five: The Public and Private Lives of Paul Desmond, Don Thompson, bassist and recording engineer for this material, jazz historian Thomas Cunniffe, and, happily, the witty Desmond himself, go a long way towards explaining the circumstances surrounding these live performances at Toronto’s Bourbon Street night club. In brief, after Desmond and Dave Brubeck finally called it quits on the quartet in 1967, the saxophonist took it easy for a while. Eventually, he was persuaded to play at the Half Note, a new club near his Manhattan apartment. Jim Hall, a long-time favorite of Desmond’s, was his guitarist on the gig, and when that led to an invitation to play in Toronto early in 1975, Hall demurred, and suggested using Canadian guitarist Ed Bickert. This was a match that proved to be perfect from the first minute. Like Desmond, Bickert seemed to know every song anyone had ever played, and as Thompson notes, Bickert “was famous for basically knowing all the tunes in all the keys.” The crystalline lines he conjured from a solid-body Fender Telecaster mesh perfectly with Desmond’s legendarily dry tone. On drums was the deeply simpatico Jerry Fuller, whose rhythmic authority is always clear. Of the 9 sessions spread across the 7 discs, only three have previously been available. Eight songs from late October were issued as a two-Lp set on the A& M Horizon label. From the same dates, but listed separately in the discography, are five songs that originally appeared on Artists House. And six tracks recorded in March came out on a Telarc CD. That means that there are hours and hours of new Desmond performances (32 tracks!) to thrill and delight his fans. The one thing that amazes me about these recordings is the complete lack of rehearsal. Somehow, Desmond could stand on stage, call the tune (sometimes) and the key, and off they’d go. There was no discussion of anything, says Thompson, except for endings to a few songs. It worked the same way when valve trombonist Rob McConnell subbed for Bickert on a couple of nights at the end of October. McConnell is quoted as saying “Without a word, a count-off or even picking the tune, Paul would have the band playing just the way he wanted it; quietly, thoughtfully, and musically.” Given the circumstances, there are naturally a few tunes in the repertoire that appear a few times. But with such thoughtful and harmonically astute improvisers on the bandstand, it’s no problem at all to hear Desmond play favorites like Gerry Mulligan’s Line For Lyons, Duke Ellington’s Just Squeeze Me, Mercer Ellington’s Things Ain’t What They Used To Be, and his own Take Five. About the only thing that might get on some listeners’ nerves are the seldom-varied routines of solos by Desmond, Bickert, and on every tune, whether he wanted to take a solo or not, Thompson. Drummer Fuller gets a bit short-changed on solo time, but he sounds so much at home throughout that I doubt it bothered him at all. When McConnell takes over for Bickert on a couple of night, the energy level rises a bit, as the two horns inspire one another and play off of each other in fresh ways. The twelve minutes they devote to Let’s Get Away From it All, the Matt Dennis-Tom Adair standard, should be enough to convince most listeners that it’s too bad that the men didn’t get together to play more often. Early in his notes, Ramsey asks if the reader will “allow me to mention a few high points, although I must observe that [these recording] constitute the high point of Desmond’s post-Brubeck career.” And he is so right. Absolutely recommended. 

Mosaic MD7-269; Paul Desmond (as) Ed Bickert (g on sessions A-F, I) or Rob McConnell (valve tbn on sessions G & H) Don Thompson (b) Jerry Fuller (d); Toronto, ON, March 25 (A), March 26 (B), March 28 (C), March 29 (D), October 25-26 (E), October 27-29 (F), October 30 (G), October 31 (H), and October 27-29 (I); Disc 1 (69:17): Too Marvelous For Words (C)/ Line For Lyons (A)/ Emily (A)/ It Could Happen to You (B)/ Just Squeeze Me (C)/ I Wish I Knew (A)/ I Should Care (C)/ Audrey (B). Disc 2 (73:14): Just Squeeze Me (D)/ Meditation (D)/ Tangerine (D)/ Darn That Dream (C)/ Nuages (D)/ Like Someone in Love (D)/ Things Ain’t What They Used to Be (D). Disc 3 (65:11): Line For Lyons (F)/ Wendy (E)/ Too Marvelous For Words (F)/ When Sunny Gets Blue (F)/ Audrey (F) Darn That Dream (F)/ Take Five (E). Disc 4 (70:23): Tangerine (F)/ Wave (C)/ It Could Happen to You (C)/ Emily (E)/ Line For Lyons (E)/ When Sunny Gets Blue (E)/ Things Ain’t What They Used to Be (E). Disc 5 (64:29): Just Squeeze Me (E)/ All the Things You Are (B)/ Autumn Leaves (B)/ Wave (B)/ I’ve Got You Under My Skin (A)/ Nuages (B)/ East of the Sun (C). Disc 6 (77:52): Let’s Get Away From it All (G)/ Line For Lyons (G)/ Just Squeeze Me (G)/ My Funny Valentine (H)/ Mean to Me (H)/ Wendy (G)/ Things Ain’t What They Used to Be (G). Disc 7 (73:26): Wendy (I)/ Wave (I)/ Things Ain’t What They Used to Be (I)/ Nancy (I)/ Manha de Carnaval (I)/ Here’s That Rainy Day (I)/ My Funny Valentine (I)/ Take Five (I). (Limited edition of 2,500 sets, available directly from mosaicrecords.com)

Jordan/Futterman/Swell/Fielder + Jordan/Futterman/Parker/Drake

Percussionist Alvin Fiedler first appeared on record with a 1958 edition of the Sun Ra Arkestra. A charter member of Chicago’s AACM, he played with Roscoe Mitchell in the mid-Sixties, appearing on the seminal Sound album for Nessa. According to his Wikipedia entry, he returned home to Mississippi in 1969, and began working with saxophonist Kidd Jordan in 1975 in what became the Improvisational Arts band. A mainstay of the New Orleans avant-garde scene, Fielder had lengthy musical relationships with Jordan and pianist Joel Futterman, and getting as far as Dallas, Texas, with brassman Dennis Gonzalez. His final recording, issued by the Big Easy’s invaluable independent label Valid Records, is Masters Of Improvisation, featuring a quartet of Kidd Jordan, Alvin Fielder, Joel Futterman & Steve Swell from a live concert at the Old U.S. Mint in New Orleans in late January 2017. After a few tentative minutes to settle into the space, the second half of Expansion is a wild, no holds barred freely improvised onslaught, complete with a hip drum solo to end the piece. The exploratory 25 minutes of Residue start out with trombonist Swell and drummer Fielder in a low-key duet. Futterman joins the fray with darting piano chords as the intensity builds slowly and surely. Futterman and Fielder go at it for a spell in a busier frame of mind. Jordan then enters the scene, in a relaxed mood, and the music slows down again to give listeners a chance for some close listening. Overall, it’s quite an enjoyable exposition, with Fielder setting the pace and controlling the dynamics. The track flows directly into the finale, a cheerfully energetic conversation with plenty of interplay and direct communication, and ending the set with an unexpected sidelong glance at Doc Pomus’ Lonely Avenue! A fine night of music indeed.

   Fielder passed away at the age of 83 in January 2019, and in June of that year, the quartet of Edward "Kidd" Jordan, Joel Futterman, William Parker, & Hamid Drake offered A Tribute to Alvin Fielder, Live at Vision Festival XXIV. It’s clear from the first seconds of the single 45-minute improvisation that spirits were high and the musicians totally engaged. Bassist William Parker and drummer Hamid Drake form one of the most potent rhythm teams around. One of the great musical experiences of my life was witnessing a quartet of Parker and Drake with the twin-tenor threat of Edward “Kidd” Jordan and the late Fred Anderson, and so I had great expectations for this Vision Festival performance. I wish I could have been there, but I’m very happy to report that this Mahakala Music release is deeply satisfying from start to finish. As is usually the case with free improvisation, a blow-by-blow account is relatively pointless and unhelpful. But I will note Jordan’s playful evocation of eden ahbez’s Nature Boy, Futterman’s lush and deep concentration at the low end of the piano, and the uncanny empathy displayed at every moment by Parker and Drake as the music ebbs and flows. As Kidd Jordan (85 in May, 2020) tells the audience at the end, he’s “blessed to play with younger fellows” and, quoting the blues song Going Down Slow, he’s had his fun, “if I don’t get well no more.” He had a ball, he told them, and now it’s your turn to have a ball at home. Happily recommended.
Masters of Improvisation: Valid VR-1016; Steve Swell (tbn) Kidd Jordan (ts) Joel Futterman (p) Alvin Fielder (d); New Orleans, LA, January 24, 2017; Expansion/ Residue/ Sawdust on the Floor; 47:50. validrecords.com
Tribute To Alvin Fielder: Mahakala Music; Edward "Kidd" Jordan (ts) Joel Futterman (p) William Parker (b) Hamid Drake (d); Brooklyn, NY, June 12, 2019; A Tribute to Alvin Fiedler; 45:03. mahakalamusic.com