Mark Reboul/Roberta Piket/Billy Mintz: Seven pieces/ about an hour/ saxophone, piano, drums

The legendary ESP-Disk label, which recorded such prominent avant-garde artists as Albert Ayler, Sun Ra, and Marion Brown, also released albums by relatively obscure musicians who remained unknown to all but a few cognoscenti. I’m thinking of players like pianist Lowell Davidson and reedist Marzette Watts. To that small list, add the name of saxophonist Mark Reboul, an almost unknown player from the New York scene. The newly issued Seven pieces/ about an hour/ saxophone, piano, drums was recorded back in 2004 by the trio of Mark Reboul, Roberta Piket & Billy Mintz. ESP-Disk’ has been through several incarnations since it was founded in 1963, but the original dictum that “the artists alone decide what you will hear” is still in force. The current manager of ESP, Steve Holtje, solicited this set from Reboul who he knew from attending one of his rare gigs. Unlike a lot of what’s usually called “free jazz” with its stereotypical connotations of blasting saxophones and bashing drums, Reboul’s music is quietly intense and often very slowly paced. The solemn breathiness of his saxophones is nicely complemented by Piket’s careful comments at the keyboard and Mintz’ typically subtle and spare drumming. Seven pieces is a fascinating document of an underexposed talent who is well worth hearing. Recommended. 

ESP-Disk’ ESP5041; Mark Reboul (sax) Roberta Piket (p) Billy Mintz (d); Brooklyn, NY, 2004; 7¾/ 10/ 13/ 3/ 6¾/ 9/ 11¾; 61:49. www.espdisk.com

Roberta Piket: Domestic Harmony

Among musicians, Billy Mintz has a reputation as an excellent drummer. But it turns out that he’s also a composer, and pianist Roberta Piket, who also happens to be his wife, is the right person to showcase his talent for writing lovely melodies. On the perfectly titled Domestic Harmony, Piket presents her husband with the gift of ten solo renditions of his original compositions. As she notes in her liner essay, his tunes “have an open quality which gives the performer the freedom to put forth her own viewpoint.” Her assured touch at the piano and her musical imagination stand her in good stead for this thoroughly enjoyable program. Mintz’s tunes come from a variety of inspirations, from the drum sticking pattern that informs the upbeat groove of Shmear to the look of a New York City sidewalk that led to Looking Down at the Stars. Many of these pieces have been performed on Mintz’s three CD’s as a leader, but this is a good opportunity to hear them stripped down to their essence. It’s a beautifully conceived and executed program, originally intended as a private recital for Mintz. Piket wasn’t thinking of releasing it until after the whole project was complete, but now we can all join her in wishing Billy Mintz a very happy birthday!
Thirteenth Note TNR-012; Roberta Piket (p; vcl on *); Paramus, NJ, no dates indicated; Ghost Sanctuary/ Beautiful You/ Looking Down at the Stars/ Shmear/ Flight/ Destiny*/ Your Touch/ Blinds Eye/ Ugly Beautiful/ Cannonball; 54:28. www.robertajazz.com

Roberta Piket: West Coast Trio

    The piano trio format never seems to go out of style, and it certainly won’t as long as there are such swinging units as Roberta Piket and her West Coast Trio with veterans Darek Oleszkiewicz on bass and Joe La Barbera on drums. For added instrumental color, the trio is joined by guitarist Larry Koonse for two tunes, Piket’s original A Bridge to Nowhere and George Shearing’s Conception, and by percussionist Billy Mintz for Flor de Lis, a tune by the Brazilian singer-songwriter Djavan. Those are just three of the songs chosen to promote creative interplay in a repertoire that leans towards music composed by pianists. Chick Corea’s Humpty Dumpty, from his The Mad Hatter album in 1978, is a particular favorite, with its irrepressible energy and dynamism. Not too many musicians have covered Yemenja, a waltz by John Hicks dating from the mid-seventies, and it’s great to hear it played with the calm groove that Piket establishes from the start. Bassist Oleszkiewicz contributes a lovely solo with the tune’s melody firmly in mind. Piket’s solo is inventive and thoughtful, a fine example of her lyrical approach to the piano. Piket’s own Mentor, with its daunting twists and turns, is dedicated to yet another pianist, Richie Beirach. The oldest tune here is Walter Donaldson’s My Buddy, published in 1922, and popular among jazz musicians since Benny Carter recorded it in 1937. The Piket trio gives the song plenty of respect, maybe too much in this languid performance. Happily, that’s the shortest track on the disc and they jump right back with the Shearing tune. The tune features some slick guitaristics from Los Angeles mainstay Koonse and exceptionally exuberant work by the superb Joe La Barbara. With such stellar results, let’s hope that Piket makes it out west more often. Definitely recommended.
13th Note TNR011; Roberta Piket (p) Darek Oleszkiewicz (b) Joe La Barbera (d) Larry Koonse (g on *) Billy Mintz (perc on #); Glendale, CA, April 13-14, 2017; Mentor/ Falling In Love With Love/ A Bridge to Nowhere*/ Humpty Dumpty/ Flor de Lis#/ Yemenja/ My Buddy/ Conception*/ Windmills of Your Mind; 54:39. robertajazz.com