Album review. Sax player Ralph Bowen with five well crafted pieces honoring musicians who have been a guiding influence.
Posi-Tone
Release date: February 23rd 2010
Availability: CD, MP3 Download
Following Chris Potter's excellent example on 'Gratitude', Ralph Bowen continues where he had begun with his first Posi-Tone release 'Dedicated' with five well crafted pieces honoring musicians who have been a guiding influence. Only while you would recognize all of Chris Potter's influences (Joe Henderson, Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, Eddie Harris, Michael Brecker…) you may not have heard of many of the influences cited by Ralph Bowen.
On 'Dedicated' he referenced Keith Blackley, Pat LaBarbera, Jim Blackley, David N. Baker, Prof William Fielder and Eugene Rousseau. Here on 'Due Reverence' he references Ted Dunbar ('Less Is More'), Bob Mintzer ('This One's For Bob'), Phil Nimmons ('Phil-osophy'), Prof James Scott ('Mr. Scott') and Robert Dick ('Points Encountered'). So this is more like a one man effort to bring to attention largely unrecognized innovators drawn mainly from Canadian jazz and teachers at Rutgers University, where Ralph Bowen himself now teaches. It's what you might describe as a bottom-up approach in contrast to Chris Potter's top-down take on the development of the music.
Influences aside, the jazz on 'Due Reverence' is very strong indeed. The same world class band that appeared on 'Dedicated ' - Ralph Bowen (tenor sax), Sean Jones (trumpet), Adam Rogers (guitar), John Patitucci (bass) and Antonio Sanchez (drums) – is retained again here, with the constraint that Sean Jones is featured on only one track, 'Mr Scott'.
Indeed, the eleven minute piece 'Mr Scott' is the stand out track on the album. The Tom Harrell influenced theme, played on harmonized sax and trumpet, gives way to involving and lucid soloing from each member of this impressive band, delivered over a loose and flowing backing in which Antonio Sanchez's asymmetric drumming, John Patitucci's intelligent bass lines and Adam Roger's now restrained guitar work all shine. You get the strong feeling that each of the musicians in this lineup is starting to develop a deep understanding of the other.
'Less Is More', the opener, starts in subdued classical vein with acoustic guitar and bowed bass before opening out into a likeable subdued piece with a gentle latin rhythm. Ralph Bowen leads without showboating on a tight tenor sax solo ahead of a nicely pitched guitar solo from Adam Rogers. It is noticeable how his guitar paying has changed in recent years – from the upfront complexity of his own albums as leader for Criss Cross ('Allegory', 'Apparitions') to a more subdued and perceptive mainstream approach. Throughout the album he is impressive as accompanist (with fine judged chords that at times evoke a Fender Rhodes sound) and in providing deep and involving solos.
'Phil-osophy' is a similarly pitched piece with the latin influence replaced with a more straight ahead, swinging beat.
'This One's For Bob' shifts the tempo up a notch as a vehicle for impressive, quick fire soling from Ralph Bowen and then Adam Rogers. Exhilarating.
The closing track 'Points Encountered' is a tribute to Robert Dick, a flautist who is credited with pioneering breathing techniques to improve wind instrument playing. Ralph Bowen's sax playing certainly is impressive. But in the art of breathing, you have to wonder where Rahsaan Roland Kirk comes into this story. There is a well aimed arco bass solo from John Patitucci that is another highlight.
Overall, this is very fine mainstream jazz and is highly recommended.
Check out the MP3 download at amazon. Not only is the album available at a very competitive price in that form, but you also get a bonus track that is not available on the CD – the title track 'Due Reverence', a lyrical unaccompanied tenor sax piece.
To preview and purchase Ralph Bowen: Due Reverence on CD at amazon:
Album review. Brad Mehldau's second exploration of orchestral jazz and his most ambitious to date.>
Nonesuch
Release date: March 16th 2010
Recorded at Oceon Way Studios, LA
Availability: CD, MP3 Download
'Highway Rider' is Brad Mehldau's second exploration of orchestral jazz and his most ambitious to date.
The history of jazz meets classical orchestration is a checkered one at best. In 'Charlie Parker with Strings' or John McLaughlin's 'Concerto for Guitar & Orchestra' with the London Symphony Orchestra, the classical appendages largely get in the way of the jazz.
Brad Mehldau had come closest to this approach in 2002 with his album 'Largo' when he had worked with producer Jon Brion. When Brad Mehldau thought of going further with the orchestral approach, he decided to work with him again and to record this new music as much as possible as a live perfomance:
'I knew from working with Jon on 'Largo' that he was the guy who would find a way to put all the pieces together for this project. It was really quite a beast sonically at some points-two drummers playing at the same time, bass, sax, and piano, and then the orchestra on top of that. I wanted to record everything live whenever possible but wasn't sure if we could do it. The first conversation with Jon about the music, that was for him a done deal - it had to be live, with the orchestra and the jazz group playing together. Jon had the foresight during the recording, and then a great deal of craft during the mixing, to bring it all together and sound like it does. And we were able to avoid what the conductor Dan Coleman jokingly referred to as 'disco strings' that is, adding the orchestra onto the jazz group's performance after the fact.'
So, first and foremost, 'Highway Rider', a double CD, is conceived as more than jazz with strings. The core band - Brad Mehldau (piano), Jeff Ballard/ Matt Chamberlain (drums), Larry Grenadier (bass), Joshua Redman (tenor saxophone) – is seen as part of a wider soundscape.
As Brad Mehldau explains in this Nonesuch EPK from YouTube:
The problem of how to deal with the orchestration was a major one:
'For me, the biggest challenge was the orchestration; which notes to assign to what instruments. I've been studying lots of orchestral scores for a while now - Strauss, Brahms, Tchaikovsky; a lot of big romantic stuff in particular. But while I was writing, I was also listening closely to modern orchestrators and arrangers, and there are two who have made an impact on me especially François Rauber in his work with Jacques Brel, and Bob Alcivar in his work with Tom Waits.'
You could accept the Tom Waits but the Jacques Brel would almost certainly be a romantic ballad too far for most jazz enthusiasts.
Neverthelss, this is an avenue that Brad Mehldau seems keen to explore. In recent years he has written and scored the orchestral piece 'The Brady Bunch Variations' for the Orchestre National d'Île-de-France and two Carnegie Hall commissions - 'Love Songs' for mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter and 'Love Sublime' for soprano Renée Fleming.
There is much great music on 'Highway Rider' and the impact of Joshua Redman in introducing an unwavering jazz perspective is an undeniable asset. Time will tell if this ambitious work overcomes the experience of Charlie Parker, John McLaughlin and so many jazz greats for whom the meeting with classical orchestra was a gig too far.
However, Brad Mehldau does seem to have made progress beyond that point. He uses the woodwind passages to great effect and leaves enough of the basic jazz trio in place to retain this as an anchor. And on release the double CD has gone straight to the top of the jazz album charts.
Very much worth checking out.
To preview and purchase Brad Mehldau: Highway Rider on CD at amazon:
