Matthew Jocelyn

with Erasing Statues making room for bottleneck guitar-like sonorities
within a ring-shout-like accompaniment; while luculent horn
multiphonics modernize the yearning blues licks from Sewell that
introduce Yank.
Taking the concept one step further is cellist
Erik Friedlander whose Oscalypso (Skipstone
SSR22 skipstonerecords.com) consists of nine
compositions by cellist Oscar Pettiford (1922-
1960), one of the first to introduce that orchestral
instrument to jazz. Throughout Friedlander
and company – tenor and soprano saxophonist
Michael Blake, bassist Trevor Dunn
and drummer Michael Sarin – interpret the tunes with restrained,
unselfconscious swing, that could be called cool, but with a harder
edge. Sarin, for instance, never thunders, but outputs a constant
pulse that ranges from clipping rim shots on the title tune that are
answered by spiccato bowing from Friedlander and narrowed note
spearing from Blake, to near-Afro-Cuban conga replications on
Sunrise Sunset that encourage dance-like flutters from the saxophonist.
Supple and relaxed, the cellist’s and reedist’s timbres intersect
often, like the conversation of fraternal twins. They can do so
at warp speed as on Pendulum at Falcon’s Lair, with its familiarsounding
melody studded by (Stan) Getzian euphony from Blake,
or in full balladic mode with the slowly building Two Little Pearls.
Tongue-trilling tremolos from the saxophonist are egged on by the
cellist’s string sweeps as Dunn strengthens the rhythmic bottom as
he does throughout. Expressively romantic playing arco as any cellist
facing the Impressionistic repertoire, yet as rhythmically exciting
plucking pizzicato as any guitarist in a swing combo, Friedlander not
only confirms his talents and those of the quartet members, but flags
the continued adaptability of Pettiford’s compositions to contemporary
sounds.
Canada’s second best-known jazz pianist
is the subject of another salute: Homage to
Paul Bley (Leo Records CD LR 732 leorecords.
com), but Italian pianist Arrigo Cappelletti
has taken the oddest way to frame his admiration
for someone he lists as one of his chief
inspirations. Cappelletti, who teaches at
Venice’s Music Conservatory and has played
with Bley associates like drummer Bill Elgart
and bassist Steve Swallow, plays mostly his own music here. Of the
three tunes not by Cappelletti though, one was composed by Andrew
Hill, two were composed by Thelonious Monk. There’s probably some
perverse Mediterranean logic at work here. Although none of the 13
tracks are Bley compositions, the pianist, assisted by bassist Furio Di
Castri and drummer Bruce Ditmas, both of whom worked with Bley,
writes short, weedy lines that compare to the Canadian’s work. Unlike
Bley’s note economy though, the Italian’s style is much busier, even
on the title tune. The multi-note textural exposition he specializes in
is reminiscent of someone making sure to spread jam on every single
millimetre of his toast. More crucially, the pianist’s synergy with his
bassist is as pronounced as Bley’s was with his sidemen. Tracks such
as the stop-and-go Bluesy and Refugee Blues find the two playing
pitch and catch with the themes, with blues expressed only by inference.
Meanwhile on the introspective Ashes, Cappelletti appears to
be answering every chord he plays himself; and on the slow-moving
and stately Coral creates a sense of unfolding drama which perfectly
presages the Monk medley that follows it. While Cappelletti’s touch is
also not spare enough to meet Monk’s idiosyncrasies on Pannonica &
Crepuscule with Nellie, the luxurious elegance he brings to his own
compositions is imposing. DiCastri’s bowed bass line adds expressive
deep tones to Durate, as Ditmas’ molasses-slow rolls maintain
the tune’s ambulatory momentum; while the almost endless thematic
development the three bring to Dialogue invests it with a scanty
romanticism, characterized by piano-key dusting and the drummer’s
patterning smacks.
An identical format was used in 1975 by
pianist Barry Harris’ trio to pay tribute to a
composer-arranger-pianist, whose achievements
were even at that early date in danger of
being forgotten. Plays Tadd Dameron (Xanadu
Master Edition 906071 elemental-music.com)
with bassist Gene Taylor and drummer Leroy
Williams was the first – and for many years the
only – disc given over to classics by Dameron
(1917-1965), whose tunes such as Hot House and Our Delight defined
bebop. Harris, whose harmonic adroitness is in many ways comparable
to Dameron’s, stresses both the melodic and rhythmic parameters
of these tunes. With Taylor string interpolations shadowing him
like a guide dog with his master, the pianist’s interpretations are more
buttoned down than the originals, but this controlled session also
lacks spectacular front men like Fats Navarro and John Coltrane, for
whom the tunes were first composed. Yet by separating these eight
classics from their initial recordings, Harris burnishes the composer’s
reputation. For instance his evocative version of If You Could See Me
Now, initially recorded by Sarah Vaughan, adds a wash of colourful
breaks to the ballad like nuts sprinkled on caramel chocolate.
Soultrane, first recorded by Coltrane, is modulated into sophisticated
smoothness with the floating beat encompassing pure emotionalism.
Meanwhile the assured treatment of the frequently recorded Ladybird
is allowed to float freely until double-timing bass work and an elliptical
keyboard coda confirm its individuality. Even the lush Casbah
is dappled with rhythmic quotes and humour to strip out the false
exotica so that the melody stands on its own.
Forty years ago Harris, now 85, showed that memorable jazz was
made by more than a handful of great composer/performers. Today,
canny players are further exposing inventive compositions by lesserknown
creators. With more colours and contours in place, a fuller
picture of the music emerges.
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Subcontinental Drift
Sultans of String
with
Anwar Khurshid
Considered by many the finest sung
Ring ever, featuring Astrid Varnay,
Hans Hotter, Wolfgang Windgassen,
Gustav Neidlinger, Josef Greindl
and Ramon Vinay in top form.
Alpha Moment
Peter Hum
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