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jazz
Jazz is particularly fond
of heroes. Often larger
than life, they are both
objects of praise and
scrutiny, on stage and
on record. Yet, for each one of those,
there are legions of workmanlike
players who deserve a place in the
sun. In Montreal, for instance, saxophonist
Frank Lozano qualifies as a
true musician’s musician. Since his
arrival from Toronto some 20 years
ago, this multi-instrumentalist (who
plays both tenor and soprano
as well as bass clarinet and
flute) is one of the city’s most
dependable jazz journeymen.
Appreciated by his colleagues,
he fits like a glove in a variety
of situations, ranging from
standard jazz practices to
more exploratory forms of
music making. With his name
gracing five records issued
over the last couple of months, one
of these casting him in the more
infrequent role of band leader, 2011
seems to be a banner year. Taking
time from his busy schedule, he sat
down with this writer one morning
to share some valuable insights, offering
an insider’s perspective on
each of these productions.
» Frank Lozano Montreal Quartet –
Destin (Effendi FND 113)
In 2007, I put out my first record as leader
(Colour Fields) with musicians from Ottawa
and Toronto; that explains for the most part
why I called this one ‘Montreal Quartet’. Being
a sideman for me means interpreting someone
else’s vision as faithfully as possible.
When it comes to being a leader, I see it as a
shift in function. But my sideman experience
serves me well here, because I can put myself
very easily in my bandmates’ shoes. When
presenting your own music, there is added
responsibility for sure; it’s much more personal,
closer to you. I have to say I’m very
happy about this record because we did it the
right way: we played a year and a half before
making it.
» Autour de Bill Evans (FND 112)
This group was my idea. I act as its musical
director but don’t consider myself the leader.
If someone is, it’s Bill Evans. Three, four years
ago, Pierre Tanguay (drummer of this group)
asked me put a trio together with bassist
Michel Donato to perform in Rimouski for its
off jazz festival. We played standards, and it
Frank LOZANO
More than just a sideman
by MARC CHÉNARD
PHOTO Jean-Pierre Dubé
went so well I felt we could do more. I wanted
to take it a step further. Michel loves Bill
Evans, he even played once with him (and
Philly Joe Jones) back in 1977, so that was the
impetus. François Bourassa came into the picture
later, but he was part of my band by then.
I was surprised that he and Michel had never
played together, and it seemed like a perfect
fit. It clicked from the get go. It’s worth mentioning
the record is called ‘Autour de Bill
Evans’ (i.e. ‘Around…’), so it’s not a tribute
band covering just his tunes but others associated
with him. That opens up the repertoire.
» Auguste Quartet – Homos Pugnax (FND 115)
I’ve been part of (bassist and label boss)
Alain Bédard’s band for years now, but not on
a continual basis, of course. (It dates back to
the mid-1990s, pre-Effendi days.) This album
differs from the previous ones in that we were
tackling material not previously road tested,
or very little at least. When I record, I try to
memorize pieces, especially standards; it’s one
less barrier to deal with. Here we were dealing
with charts, some actually quite difficult,
like “Casse-pattes” (second track), a
crazy tune full of odd meters, with the
one (downbeat) often not marked.
But we got through them in two or
three takes for each. When you do
more, it’s over. It’s like a romantic
session: if the phone rings more than
twice, then ‘forget it, let’s try some
other time’!
» Josh Rager – Kananasakis (FND 116)
I was on his previous sextet date for
the label (Time and Time Again), but
I am guest player on only one track,
Billy Strayhorn’s “U.M.M.G.” (short
for “Upper Manhattan Medical
Group”). The piece was sort of in
my head, but I’d never really
learnt it, so I had to. Then Josh
said he wanted to play it in 7/4
time rather than the usual 4/4
(which means playing with the
note durations to make it fit in
alternating 4- and 3-beat measures).
First we discussed it on
the phone, he sang it to me and then
tried it out once during a session with
musicians different from those on the
record. For the record, we did three
takes, two were kept and Josh made
the final pick.
» Thom Gossage Other Voices – In
Other Words (Songlines 1591-2)
Thom’s music is always challenging,
but he’s so on the money: he’s the kind
of guy who is listening to every little
thing everybody is doing. Over the last
five years, he’s taken his vision of the music, or
the sound in which he wants to express himself,
and has changed it to make it fit us to a certain
extent. But it’s not a matter of writing this or that
for me because that’s what I like to do, but it’s
more ‘I hear this in Frank, so I will pull it out of
him’. We rehearsed a lot, four or five times
before going to the studio, and did it all in a single
day, though we were all wasted by the end of
it. The nice thing, though, is that in spite of its
difficulty, you come out of it somewhat transformed.
And that’s why I hired Thom to be part
of my own band. This record is really about limitations
and oppositions. There are sections that
might appear completely open when we’re really
working on a very specific idea of group architecture,
with independent voices. Once you get
inside the bubble, the limitations are very interesting.
It’s paradoxical in a way, yet those limitations
give added depth.
Read complete interview transcript at:
http://jazzblog.scena.org
LSM
38
DECEMBER 2011 / JANUARY 2012