Jeff Cosgrove: History Gets Ahead Of The Story

  Jazz history is filled with musicians whose tunes are seldom played by anyone outside of their own ensembles, which leaves a vast literature of unfairly neglected compositions. Drummer Jeff Cosgrove played in a trio with bassist William Parker and pianist Matthew Shipp for a few years, which started him thinking about recording some of Parker’s original tunes. Cosgrove describes Parker as “an inspiring composer” who writes “beautiful and very tuneful pieces that leave a lot of room for improvisational excitement.” The result is History Gets Ahead Of The Story, with Cosgrove leading a trio with saxophonist Jeff Lederer and organist John Medeski in renditions of seven of Parker’s compositions. There’s also one piece by Cosgrove and two by Lederer. Parker’s tunes are rooted in blues and traditional forms, but are liable to take flight in any direction. That makes Lederer, who stays “inside” with the same intensity that he displays when he goes “outside,” perfect for his role here. The saxophonist traveled down to Cosgrove’s home base in Maryland for some gigs. After Cosgrove suggested this project, an enthusiastic Lederer was the key to making it come together, enlisting Medeski for the band and contributing arrangements. O’Neal’s Porch, the title track for a Parker quartet release in 2000, kicks things off in style, with Lederer, on tenor, soaring into the stratosphere on his solo while Medeski’s organ lines remain calm and Cosgrove pushes the music forward. After a pithy organ solo, there’s a potent sax and organ duel with drums in the middle. Another Parker original, Corn Meal Dance, is next, performed in a slow, ruminative style that emphasizes the trio’s interactivity. Gospel Flowers is by Lederer, a mid-tempo swinger that provokes a especially fine organ solo from Medeski and a passionate tenor solo by the composer. The energy flags a bit for Little Bird, with Lederer moving to flute. Cosgrove’s Ghost is suitably mysterious and other-worldly, but otherwise there isn’t much to it. The trio shakes off the doldrums with the light swing of Moon. Lederer switches to soprano sax and contributes a snaky and poised solo. After a grooving organ solo, Medeski and Lederer play a sort of stop-time duet with commentary by Cosgrove. Lederer gets the last word, returning the melody to take the song out. As you might expect from the title, Things Fall Apart is the most fragmented and disjointed piece of the date, which unfolds as three simultaneous solos that continually meet and diverge. I’m quite taken with their version of Wood Flute Song, a Parker song that the bassist has recorded several times with varying instrumentations. Here it becomes a hard-driving concoction with Cosgrove’s splashy drums underneath a tasty solo by Lederer (on clarinet?) and a hip and convoluted organ solo by Medeski. Purcell’s Lament, written by Lederer, is gentle and appropriately sad, with a powerful solo by the composer amid Medeski’s atmospheric organ washes and Cosgrove’s spare use of mallets. Ending the set is the finger-snapping groove of Harlem, a blues that elicits R’n’B-flavored solos from Lederer, on tenor, and Medeski. Anyone that’s been paying attention knows that William Parker is one of the pre-eminent bassists in creative music. Here’s hoping that this largely successful encounter gets more people to think about Parker as a strong composer as well. Recommended. 

Grizzley Music; Jeff Lederer (saxes, fl) John Medeski (org) Jeff Cosgrove (d); Saugerties, NY, late 2018; O’Neal’s Porch/ Corn Meal Dance/ Gospel Flowers/ Little Bird/ Ghost Moon/ Things Fall Apart/ Wood Flute Song/ Purcell’s Lament/ Harlem; 59:13. www.jeffcosgrovemusic.com