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Jamie Saft/ Steve Swallow/
Bobby Previte
The New Standard
RARENOISE 041
Everything about The New Standard seems to warn
of ironic subversion: the bold-faced “jazz” title set
against the Spinal Tap-esque “none more black”
cover; the fact that RareNoise is a label known more
for aggressive noise than straightahead jazz; and, not
least of all—the participants. Jamie Saft is a multiinstrumentalist
and producer who has worked with
experimentalists such as John Zorn and Merzbow,
while bassist Steve Swallow has a lengthy pedigree,
one that veers more toward fusion and Carla Bley’s
arched-eyebrow oeuvre. Drummer Bobby Previte
Luke Malewicz
Green Ruins
HERITAGE JAZZ 120884
½
Polish-born, Chicago-based trombonist
Luke Malewicz has held down the lower
end of several brass sections, especially in
traditional-inclined jazz bands around his
adopted hometown. His quintet’s debut is a
solid mainstream disc and a personal statement
from the leader. It consists entirely of
Malewicz’s own compositions and the trombonist
also served as Green Ruins’ producer.
While his writing is straightforward—
pieces tend to be built around a series of crescendos—the
tunes become solid vehicles
for his own warm tone and often surprising
dialogues with his sidemen. Opener “Basso
Blue” is a lively tribute to Kenny Dorham’s “Blue
Bossa” (which, Malewicz states in the notes, was
his introduction to jazz standards). The trombonist’s
approach echoes the relaxed leaps of Dorham
foil Curtis Fuller, especially when Malewicz
exchanges quick runs with tenor saxophonist
Rich Moore.
Two ballads—“Heathers” and “The Sliv”—
highlight different dimensions to Malewicz’s
approach. On the former, he recalls some of J.J.
Johnson’s fluid inflections, especially when he
turns to a higher register above a rumble of darker
tones. Malewicz describes “The Sliv” as a tribute to
his departed uncle, and the trombonist effectively
lifts himself up while pianist Andrew Toombs,
emerged from the downtown scene to play contemporary
classical and often radical jazz-rock hybrids.
But not long after The New Standard begins, it
becomes apparent that no sabotage or subterfuge is
forthcoming. This is a straight-faced jazz trio disc,
one that at times feels like a loose jam knocked off at
the end of a session. At other times, it’s an intriguingly
intimate and exploratory trio outing. Saft
wrote seven of the 10 tunes on the album, most of
which are little more than sketches to kick-start
the trio’s excursions, but it’s the deft flow of the
restrained but expressive playing that stands out.
The album starts with the easygoing swing
of “Clarissa,” driven by Previte’s laid-back brushwork
and Swallow’s elastic electric bass. “Minor
Soul” is the first of several self-descriptive titles
(“Blue Shuffle” is another that seems never to
have gotten past the initial name stage) and
again places Saft’s closing-time piano in the spotlight.
His trio mates get their own showcases as
the session goes on: The title tune lets the colors
of the instruments ebb and flow for several minutes
before subsiding for an eloquent Swallow
solo; Previte’s heavy, constantly shifting groove
stands out on “Step Lively.” Saft mainly sticks to
piano, but his organ playing is equally impressive,
from the gospel swells of “Clearing” to the souljazz
slow burn of “All Things To All People.”
—Shaun Brady
The New Standard: Clarissa; Minor Soul; Step Lively; Clearing;
Trek; The New Standard; I See No Leader; Blue Shuffle; All Things To
All People; Surrender The Chaise. (58:05)
Personnel: Jamie Saft, piano, organ; Steve Swallow, electric bass;
Bobby Previte, drums.
Ordering info: rarenoiserecords.com
bassist Tim Seisser and drummer Makaya
McCraven coalesce underneath.
But the strongest partnership here is between
Malewicz and Moore. On “Rooftops” the trombonist
follows Toombs and Moore’s warm introduction
and the two horns challenge each other to
a mutually beneficial end. If small jazz ensembles
still tend to shy away from featuring the weighty
advantages of a trombonist, Malewicz’s range and
firm melodic sense should start changing some
minds.
—Aaron Cohen
Green Ruins: Basso Blue; Heathers; The Sliv; Rooftops; Green
Ruins; My Fair Waltz. (40:11)
Personnel: Luke Malewicz, trombone; Rich Moore, tenor
saxophone; Andrew Toombs, piano; Tim Seisser, bass; Makaya
McCraven, drums.
Ordering info: lukemalewicz.com
Joel Harrison
Mother Stump
CUNEIFORM 390
½
In recent years guitarist Joel Harrison has worked within
an impressive range of contexts and styles, distinguishing
him as a restless sonic explorer committed
to forging new hybrids: chamber jazz, Indian fusion,
African string music, new arrangements of Jimmy
Giuffre tunes. But his new disc, Mother Stump, takes
a different direction by tapping into his roots—the
blues, rock, soul, bluegrass and folk music he grew up
with in Washington, D.C., during the ’60s and ’70s.
Working with a lean, malleable trio featuring bassist
Michael Bates and drummer Jeremy Clemons (and
occasionally keyboardist Glenn Patscha), Harrison
rips into the tunes with a focus on improvisation,
rather than his signature elaborate arrangements or
conceptual frameworks.
Harrison is an excellent technician and his band
transforms a wide variety of material (Luther
Vandross, Paul Motian, Buddy Miller, Leonard
Cohen), including some originals, into well-played
blues-rock and gritty fusion, splitting the difference
between the urban blues of Stevie Ray Vaughan and
the pastoral Americana of Bill Frisell. His tune “Do
You Remember Big Mama Thornton?” rides a huge
groove, summoning the titular belter’s outsized personality
and power, but ultimately the guitarist’s
slick tone and a crafty key change suggest a loose studio
jam by Jeff “Skunk” Baxter that got left on Steely
Dan’s cutting room floor.
The group brings a smooth urban flair to its
take on Donny Hathaway’s “I Love You More
Than You’ll Ever Know,” injecting a nice B.B.
King vibe. A version of George Russell’s classic
“Stratusphunk” creates a greater sense of space,
with Harrison unfurling terse tendrils of sound,
knotty phrases that give the listener room to
breathe. But for the most part Harrison telegraphs
the obvious. He and his band are clearly having
a blast, but if you’re expecting something new or
transcendent, look elsewhere. —Peter Margasak
Mother Stump: John The Revelator; Folk Song For Rosie; Wide
River To Cross; Refuge; Do You Remember Big Mama Thornton?;
I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know; Stratusphunk; Folk Song
For Rosie (A Slight Return); Suzanne; Dance With My Father Again;
Wide River to Cross (Part 2). (60:15)
Personnel: Joel Harrison, guitars; Michael Bates, bass; Jeremy
Clemons, drums; Glenn Patscha, Fender Rhodes, Hammond B-3
organ, Wurlitzer (3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 11).
Ordering info: cuneiformrecords.com
88 DOWNBEAT AUGUST 2014