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2010-08-08 godz. 09:47
Reviews: New reviews of recent NotTwo Records albums courtesy of Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery Rodrigo Amado - Searching For Adam:
The Clean Feed label has had a longtime relationship with Portuguese saxist Rodrigo Amado for a very good reason. Each of Ridrigo's previous half dozen discs on Clean Feed or his own European Echoes label have been gems worth savoring. Mr. Amado is simply one of the best and most consistently exciting saxists to emerge from the Southern region of Europe over the past decade. Rodrigo has also collaborated with Dennis Gonzalez & his sons and they all have played here at DMG on a couple of great occasions.
For this disc Mr. Amado has chosen three of downtown finest musicians: Taylor Ho Bynum, John Hebert and Gerald Cleaver. Five of the six pieces here are improvised with one piece featuring a drum solo from Mr. Cleaver. Right from the gitgo of "Newman's Informer", the quartet erupts with burning baritone from Rodrigo, smoking cornet from Taylor and a most impressive flurry of tight activity from one of the finest rhythm teams assembled. Wow, what incredible energy, creativity and power!?! While Rodrigo slowly bends notes into different shapes, Taylor creates a series of interconnected notes which fill in just about every space that Rodrigo leaves between his notes. There is improvised that is very good and then there is improvised music that moves into the other realm of greatness or that cosmic connection. While sitting back and listening to this, it all came together as that indescribable magic appeared and took over. This piece starts solemnly with haunting baritone sax, somber bass and eerie cornet flutter, slowly building from there. The piece develops organically with a long, strong duet of bari & cornet that turns into an impressive quartet. What is great about this quartet is the way each members brings something special to the proceedings and helps in the direction or connections. John Hebert & Gerald Cleaver have worked together on a number of sessions and consistently sound great together, knowing when to increase or decrease the tempo or dynamics as well as as when to just lay out. "Pick Up Spot" is a short yet vibrant drum solo from Mr. Cleaver that connects two other spirited sections just right. I am not sure who the Adam of the CD title is that they are searching for, but I am sure that their search has lead them & us to a great place.
Vijay Anderson - Hardboiled Wonderland:
Featuring Sheldon Brown saxes, Ben Goldberg on clarinets, Ava Mendoza & John Finkbeiner on electric guitars, Smith Dobson V on vibes and Vijay Anderson on drums & direction. I can recall West Coast drummer Vijay Anderson from a few discs he did with Adam Lane & a recent CD with Lisa Mezzacappa on Clean Feed. This sextet features two working trios that Vijay performed with in the Bay area during 2007 & 2008. This disc combines both trios with Mr. Anderson as the main instigator who suggested different combinations of musicians for each piece. Although this work is improvised, there appears to be much more going on here. The title track is first and it is the longest with layers in interconnected parts. I found this piece to be quite magical with different musicians floating in waves around one another, yet there are sections where certain structures or moods take over and evolve from there. I don't know Mr. Finkbeiner but do remember Ms. Mendosa from a trio called Bolivar Zoar that played at The Stone. Each piece has something special going on. "East Oakland Reverie" features haunting bass clarinet, hypnotic vibes and other precarious vibes. There are also a few trios and duos which change the aura somewhat. "A Few More Hands" is for vibes, alto clarinet & alto sax and it has a slower, more cerebral feeling. Another trio for clarinet, guitar & drums shifts the dialogue in different ways and is more animated & intense. Each combination of musicians shows a different approach and each one is successful in different ways. Vijay Anderson doesn't even play on a few on the pieces yet he keeps things moving and interesting throughout.
Joe Morris / Luther Gray - Creatures:
Joe Morris (guitar & acoustic bass) and Luther Gray (drums) have been playing together for many years in bands led by Joe as well as with Rob Brown, Dennis Gonzalez, Jim Hobbs & Steve Lantner. This is the first time these two have recorded a duo session and it is about time. Although Joe Morris has become a fine acoustic bassist (his second instrument), here he concentrates on his original instrument, the guitar. Each of the five pieces here are named "Creature (something)". The first is called "Creature Emotion" and it has a more restrained vibe with Joe playing semi-acoustic and Luther using brushes & soft sizzling cymbals. These two fine musicians have a special way of weaving their notes together into an impressive sonic web. Joe Morris, who also plays banjo & mandolin on occasion continues to come up with new ways of coaxing sounds out of his guitar. I caught Joe a couple of weeks ago (7/17/10) in a session with John Butcher where Joe played an entire solo by just rubbing his strings in an odd way. Here also Joe appears to bend & mute his strings in ways that are hard to describe yet certainly unique. On each piece the duo explores a different terrain or vibe. They swing in a bent sort of way on "Creature Adventure", trading lines, shadowing each other with streams of notes cascading upon one another. What I dig about "Creature Proportion" is the way the duo take a theme and then build upon it, adding chords and flurries of notes as the piece ascends higher and higher, taking us with them on their journey. The energy is breathtaking! On "Creature Influence" things glide down for a more restful episode where each note counts and is slowly placed upon a sea of calm. Finally, "Creature Outlook" is a long piece which works its way through a few different sections. Joe plays a twisted melody when the song begins and then the duo take off, turning the melody inside-out and then weaving layers of lines in waves that keep sailing and soaring and crashing together in connected streams. The duo often seem like they are balancing upon a precipice and are about to fall into the big void yet somehow arrive together in the same exciting place. A place we all need to rest upon before the next set takes place.
Ivo Perelman / Rosie Hertlein / Dominic Duval - Near to the Wild Heart:
For nearly two decades, Brazilian-born and Brooklyn-based saxist Ivo Perelman has been evolving his own path of improvised jazz, playing solo, in duos, trios & quartets with a number of downtown's best musicians. One of Ivo's most constant companions is contrabassist Dom Duval who has recorded on perhaps a dozen of Ivo's previous duo & trio CD's. Violinist Rosie Hertlein has also recorded and performed with Ivo on occasion and is yet another local talent who has knocked me out whenever I've heard her play although she remains beneath the radar screen of recognition. Over the past decade, Ivo has also developed as a painter, helping him to establish himself in a different art scene. His wonderful and evocative works have adorned a number of his recent discs, this one has an especially appropriate cover.
Tenor sax, violin and contrabass. An interesting combination which works so well here. The trio continually weave their wares around one another magically, swirling bowed notes with vocal-like sax sounds, ever distinctive, pure and often intense. Rosie has a way of matching Ivo's middle register just right while Dominic holds the low end down and adds his own depth, warmth and richness. This is a most exciting dialogue that keeps developing, shifting, bending, twisting and coming together time after time. There is a sense of calm at the center of the storm, there is also an aura of mysterious ghosts floating throughout like those Ayler-with-strings moments. There are also those occasional eruptions and well-selected screams which are perfectly shadowed by the strings as they navigate the rapids washing over all three members of this grand trio with one voice. The further out this trio goes, the more they remain in the same orbit circling around one another in balanced, elliptical threads. Beauty is a rare thing and this discs is a rare treat.
Szilard Mezei Ensemble - Bot:
Hungarian violist, composer & multi-bandleader, Szilard Mezei, is one of the most ambitious and challenging musicians to emerge from Eastern Europe in a long while. I own nearly a dozen of his discs with different sized ensembles and each one is great and well worth investigating. For this disc Mr. Mezei has organized an impressive 11-piece ensemble with the instrumentation of an oboe, clarinets, 3 trumpets, trombone, tuba, viola, cello, bass & drums. Szilard composed all of the music between 1998 & 2004 and all but two of the elevens pieces are over ten minutes long. Some of the pieces were recorded live at the Novi Sad Theatre and the rest in a studio, hence the sound is consistently splendid throughout.
Mezei continues to explore the area between Hungarian folks melodies and modern European avant jazz. The title piece "Bot" (which means stick) is first and it is filled with tight layers of charted and freer parts. While the rhythm team moves in waves, the strings and horns swirl together around them. One spirited solo emerges at a time rising above the waves, first the alto sax, then the viola and even the oboe, all strong and intense solos. Bassist Ervin Malina and drummer Istvan Csik are most impressive throughout these long pieces. What Mr. Mezei does so well is take these enchanting melodies and use them as a central theme while the ensemble swirls tightly around with various currents interlocking above and beneath the waves. In the middle of the first long piece, another more solemn theme takes over with the tuba playing that eerie melody. "Earth and Air" features a complex spiraling written theme that is most engaging with some great plucked strings and twisted horn harmonies. Each piece features fascinating structural ideas, enticing melodies and/or consistently demanding interaction. What we have here is some 2 & 1/2 hours of brilliant music played by one of the best ensembles to emerge from the Eastern European underground in a long time. Treat yourself to this treasure and take some time to fully absorb the wealth of amazing music found within.
All rights reserved Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
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