Specs & Pricing

Music
Jazz
Evan Parker:
Time Lapse.
Parker, producer. Tzadik 8026.
One person’s room-clearing music is another’s
Holy Grail. Maybe no one has really ever played
an Evan Parker recording with the express
purpose of bringing a party to an abrupt
end, but parts of Time Lapse could send the
faint of musical heart scrambling to the door.
Conversely, this masterwork by the legendary
British improviser will suck a different kind of
listener down a rabbit hole of effectively eternal
investigation that in turn yields virtually infinite
aural, cerebral, and physical pleasures.
Recorded intermittently from 1996 to 2001in
a lusciously resonant studio that was originally a
rehearsal space for the London Sinfonietta, the
eleven tracks include saxophone solo, densely
overdubbed multivoiced compositions (some
resulting from multiple studio visits, some from
single sessions), and one especially atmospheric
sonic experiment with sax textures and organ
drones. Because of Parker’s technically virtuosity
(which includes circular breathing) and brilliant
command of original musical vocabulary
(practically an encyclopedia of alternatives to
conventional melody, harmony, and rhythm), it
is occasionally difficult to distinguish between
the solo and overdubbed tracks. That sense of
mystery is just one of the absorbing qualities
of this giddily challenging yet exquisitely logical
music. Hence, titles as “Threnody for Steve
Lacy,” “Gees Bend” (a quilt-making community
in Alabama), “Pulse and the Circulation of the
Blood,” and “Alone on a Long Hard Road”
indicate a few of the 60-year-old’s inspirations
and, perhaps, afterthoughts.
A deep respect for history, abiding love of
pattern and mutated repetition, irrepressible
urge for inner exploration, and palpable
dedication to sonic accuracy come together
Kenny Garrett:
Beyond The Wall.
Steven Epstein and Garrett, producers.
Nonesuch 79933.
From the opening salvo on “Calling,” an
imposing fanfare that kicks off an intense modal
investigation, it’s clear that alto saxophonistcomposer
Kenny Garrett is delving into deep
waters. With its allusions to Africa and the overall
sense of searching inherent in the music, along
with the presence of tenor-sax legend Pharoah
Sanders, the marvelous Elvin-esque drumming
of Brian Blade, and the McCoy-like droning
and piano voicings of Mulgrew Miller, this recording may indeed be closer in spirit to
John Coltrane than Garrett’s acclaimed 1996 homage, Pursuance: The Music of John Coltrane.
On various occasions over the past few years, Garrett has shared the bandstand with jazz
elder and former Trane sideman Sanders. Together they have developed a kindred relationship
based on their mutual desire for pushing the envelope and seeking a place where high energy
meets spirituality. Their inspired chemistry is in full effect on the burning title track (recalling
Trane’s heightened excursions on uptempo vehicles like “Mr. P.C.”) and the droning “Gwoka”
(reminiscent of Trane’s “India”). Garrett’s other mentor on this exploratory session is the great
vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, prominently featured on the McCoy-ish “Qing Wen,” the Latinflavored
“Now” and the affecting vocal number “Kiss To The Skies,” buoyed by a six-voice choir.
Recorded shortly after his first eye-opening trip to mainland China last year, Beyond The Wall
also reflects Garrett’s fascination with the country’s culture, music, and spirituality, particularly
on the fragile “Tsunami Song,” which features Guowei Wang on the keening two-string Chinese
erhu, alongside harp, cello, and violin. Garrett also strikes an evocative and highly original note on
“Realization (March Towards The Light),” underscored by a hypnotic sample of Tibetan Monks
chanting. The closing “May Peace Be Upon Them” is a stirring quartet vehicle for Garrett’s
alto with pianist Miller, drummer Blade, and bassist Robert Hurst III. It opens on a soothing
enough note in gentle waltz-time fashion, but gradually builds to a frantic, sanctified peak over
a rubato pulse with Kenny digging deep and throwing torrents of notes around the room.
Beyond The Wall is distinguished by particularly good drum sound, as well as clear separation
of the various cross-cultural elements that converge in the mix. Garrett, who possesses one
of the most pungent tones along with the most commanding technique of any alto-sax player
on the scene today, is relentless in his pursuit of excellence. This project is yet another feather
in his cap. Bill Milkowski
Further Listening: Kenny Garrett: Pursuance: The Music of John
Coltrane; Branford Marsalis: The Footsteps of Our Fathers
in beautiful segments that range from tightly
compressed in the center of the soundstage
to spaciously spread between, beyond, in front
of, and behind the speakers. Saxophones have
astonishing visceral presence, and the realistic
detail of the intricate, often teeming timbres is
as magnificent as the music. DR
Further Listening: Evan Parker
Electro-Acoustic Ensemble: The
Eleventh Hour; Evan Parker, Barry
Guy, Paul Lytton, Marilyn Crispell:
After Appleby
Von Freeman:
Good Forever.
Freeman, Michael Freidman, Jim
Anderson, co-producers. Premonition
69179-07682.
When Chicago jazz icon Von Freeman puts
his tenor sax to his lips and blows on a lush,
romantic ballad like “Didn’t We,” you can
hear all 83 years of his life experience passing
through the horn. At first the breathy tone
may recall Ben Webster, or maybe a young
modern-day upstart like tenor terror James
Carter in full Websterian mode. But then,
being Von Freeman, he can’t control his
subversive instincts. Invariably, in the middle
of a sensitive solo, he’ll get frisky and veer
off the straight and narrow. The intonation
will head into Albert Ayler territory just a bit,
130 December 2006 The Absolute Sound