Return of the Guitar Man - The New York City Jazz Record

34 October 2011 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD
Another Time
Jeff Williams (Whirlwind)
by Matthew Miller
In a career that has spanned more than 40 years,
drummer Jeff Williams has honed a sound that
seamlessly blends a sinewy, propulsive rhythmic sense
with a masterful appreciation of space and atmosphere.
On Another Time, Williams leads a remarkable group -
trumpeter Duane Eubanks, alto saxophonist John
O’Gallagher and bassist John Hébert - through a series
of original compositions that are perfect vehicles for
the veteran drummer’s singular approach, as well as
the quartet’s consistently inspired improvisations.
Williams’ original composition “Search Me” opens
the album and features an extended intro by the leader
before Hébert enters with a repeated figure that
anchors the loosely-knit composition. Eubanks and
O’Gallagher arrive soon after with contrasting
improvised lines before coming together on a unison
theme that studiously avoids a recognizable tonality
before melting away entirely to make way for a series
of galvanic solos.
As a leader and composer, Williams also teases out
the relationship between the pulsing, propulsive beat
at the heart of traditional jazz drumming and the
freedom of untethered melody. On pieces like the
unpredictably driving “Double Life” and the ethereal
title track, Williams’ supple cymbal work and Hébert’s
dazzling lines often delineate a clear beat, but never in
a way that hinders O’Gallagher and Eubanks from
taking dramatic rhythmic liberties. The lack of a
chordal instrument on the album helps to achieve this
feeling of openness, but, ultimately, it has everything
to do with the drummer’s mature conception both as a
player and composer and his band’s ability to respect
the melody on one hand and completely transcend it
with daring improvisations on the other.
In addition to Williams’ contributions as a
composer, Eubanks, O’Gallagher and Hébert each
contribute memorable compositions of their own. The
standout among them, and a highpoint on the album,
is Eubanks’ “Purple, Blue and Red”, an alternately
poignant and swinging piece that features the quartet
at its best and is the perfect crystallization of everything
that makes Another Time such a satisfying listen.
For more information, visit whirlwindrecordings.com. This
group is at Cornelia Street Café Oct. 29th. See Calendar.
Ron Carter’s Great Big Band
Ron Carter (Crazy Scot-Sunnyside)
by Sharon Mizrahi
After a nearly five-decade progressive career
alongside Miles Davis and countless others, bassist
Ron Carter pares down to tradition with his newly
formed Great Big Band. The CD covers a good helping
of early 20th century standards, peppered by a few
similarly inspired band originals. Carter’s tried-and-
true approach on the album took a zestier turn live at
Jazz Standard last month, pushed forward by a
newfound charm and interesting group dynamics.
Though Carter chose to forgo a formal introduction
of his 18-member group, intriguing was his choice in
bandmates. The collaboration among seasoned big
band regulars like Mulgrew Miller and Jerry Dodgion
and more contemporary players such as Wayne
Escoffery and James Burton III gently refreshed the
tame song lineup, producing scenes of classic jazz
tunes studded with trombone burps and happy-golucky,
Beatles-esque trumpet flares. The mashup of
musical demeanors particularly enlivened the standard
fare in a heavy helping of musician solos, many far
more outspoken than their recorded counterparts.
What got muted down in the CD version of Sonny
Stitt’s “The Eternal Triangle” broke with life in a
succession of sax leads: tenor saxist Scott Robinson’s
low ‘n slow, rough-around-the-edges approach,
followed by Jay Brandford’s assertive but subliminally
flowery baritone. A similar break from the record’s
balmy polish saw its way via Steve Wilson’s piping,
hotly shrill alto sax in Dizzy Gillespie’s “Con Alma”.
But Carter couldn’t help being the man of the
hour, despite his visibly humble approach as
bandleader, wildly evolving in his musical role as
bassist. Delving beyond the timekeeping utility of his
instrument, Carter switched from moody humming to
a highly extended adaptation of the prelude to Bach’s
“Cello Suite No. 1” within “The Eternal Triangle”. He
later channeled the tang of electric bass (ironically, an
instrument he abandoned after a short stint in the late
‘60s) in a Latin-tinged “Con Alma”. His true chemistry
stirred about in a quaint duet, fittingly with Golden
Striker Trio collaborator/pianist Mulgrew Miller. The
classically inspired piece - not featured on the album -
was moved forward by modest touches of piano and
bass plucks, an aptly calm deviation from the larger
band’s brassy status quo. Carter and Miller took turns
as heavy-handed leaders and rhythmic accentors over
the lengthy piece, rotating between peppery jazz and
sparse, brooding classical with puzzling regularity.
A band divided cannot jam, rings the old Lincoln
adage. Despite the divisions - the tried-and-true
instrumentalists amid younger artists; Carter’s odd
turn toward earlier jazz standards; the aural contest
between traditional and inventive - the group’s
inherent cohesion and spot-on sharpness are its shining
glory. But between the band’s admirably cohesive
approach, excellent instrumental technique and artful
balance, perhaps musical novelty is best left to play
second fiddle. With much professionalism and tact,
Ron Carter’s Great Big Band gives a satisfying take on
the standards that made jazz what it is today.
For more information, visit sunnysiderecords.com