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Oscar Wilde
AErik Friedlander
Oscalypso
Skipstone, CD
t this late date, jazz repertory boasts an
impressive breadth. Thanks to a younger
generation’s interests, all sorts of onceneglected
artists, styles, and songbooks
have enjoyed their moment in the sun—think
everything from Ron Horton personalizing
Andrew Hill to Miguel Zenón updating plena.
With so many rocks already overturned,
unearthing a truly singular canon remains
a victory of sorts. It’s doubly attractive
when the choice transcends the novelty
of mere contrivance. The real win-win is
saluting a forebear that has had at least a
bit of aesthetic impact on your own work.
Personal resonance goes a long way
when you’re tipping the hat to a hero.
You can hear those kind of
historical feels all over Oscalypso,
Erik Friedlander’s nod to Oscar
Pettiford. The late bassist was
a bop maven and spent time
with everyone from Ellington to
Gillespie. The 55-year cellist is a
longstanding member of NYC’s
downtown scene who’s made hay
in contexts ranging from pensive
solo recitals to raucous quintets.
A few years ago, Friedlander
organized a band inspired by
Pettiford’s work on the cello. (In
1949, the bassist turned to the
more petite instrument while
nursing a broken arm, essentially
brokering the use of pizzicato
string plunking in a jazz setting.)
With bassist Trevor Dunn and
drummer Michael Sarin goosing
the action, Friedlander’s 12
originals boasted a slippery élan
that mark Pettiford nuggets such
as “Cable Car” and “Trioctism.”
Lithe yet rambunctious, the music
scampered in several directions.
Some pieces employed nimble
flourishes, others paused to
ponder a few textural ideas. They
named it the Broken Arm Trio.
Utterly charming.
Now that group has invited
saxophonist Michael Blake help
create an addendum of sorts.
Oscalypso deals in Pettiford’s
own tunes, which in general
boast a deftly rendered logic
driving their gentle swing and
pop-tinged themes. It’s one of
those easy-access albums, a
pithy affair that bounces along
and wins you over in a mere
track or two. (continued)
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November 2015 107